The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, and the Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, have welcomed news that the crucial Adre crossing between eastern Chad and Darfur in Sudan will remain available for the movement of humanitarian personnel and supplies.
While briefing the media on Thursday, Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for Secretary-General António Guterres, said that Fletcher noted that since it was reopened eight months ago, this crossing has been an essential lifeline for millions of people in need in the area.
“The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) pointed out that since August last year, nearly 1,600 trucks carrying 52,500 metric tons of humanitarian cargo have entered Sudan via Adre, transporting life-saving aid for some 2.3 million people. Nearly three-quarters of those supplies were emergency food and livelihoods assistance, while the rest supported health, nutrition, shelter, water, sanitation, and education services,” he said. “OCHA stresses that this extension is vital to sustain and expand that lifeline. However, bureaucratic impediments continue to hamper aid operations, while the ongoing conflict poses grave risks to humanitarians.
“This includes North Darfur state, where yesterday, heavy shelling in El Fasher reportedly damaged an NGO compound,” Haq added.
According to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), artillery fire in the city earlier this week destroyed a water truck that the agency was supporting in the Saudi Hospital compound.
“That truck had been delivering safe water to around 1,000 seriously ill patients, whose care has now been disrupted,” Haq stated. “OCHA reiterates that attacks on civilians, humanitarian assets, and medical facilities must stop. All parties must respect their obligations under international humanitarian law.”
According to the deputy spokesperson, the UN also remains alarmed at the ongoing deterioration of the security situation in El Fasher and North Darfur.
“Renewed clashes have displaced at least 1,700 people this week, with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reporting that most are fleeing to already overwhelmed areas like Tawila town, where we have been telling you, the UN and partners on the ground have been scaling up support for new arrivals,” Haq reported. “This new displacement is in addition to the 2,000 people who fled Abu Shouk camp and El Fasher last week.”
“Despite insecurity and access constraints, we, along with our partners, are doing everything possible to reach people in these areas with life-saving support,” he added.
Haq said that on Wednesday, a World Food Programme (WFP) convoy carrying food and nutrition supplies for nearly 100,000 people in El Fasher departed Dabbah in Northern state.
“The convoy is travelling more than 1,000 kilometers to deliver critical relief to people facing famine for nearly a year. More convoys are being planned, but safe humanitarian access is essential,” Haq said. “OCHA once again urges unfettered access for humanitarian aid — via all necessary routes, both across borders and conflict lines — as well as the protection of civilians, and an immediate cessation of hostilities.”
The conflict has also escalated in the east of the country, with repeated drone attacks in Port Sudan damaging critical infrastructure and displacing a growing number of people.
“IOM said that more than 2,600 have fled since last week, bringing the total number of new displacements reported in the city this month to more than 3,000,” Haq concluded.