World Food Programme: Sudanese Officials Acknowledge Humanitarian Crisis and Call for Immediate Action
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The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has urged the opening of corridors to deliver aid to civilians within Sudan and across the borders from Chad and South Sudan. The WFP warned that the impending rainy season, set to begin next month, will render roads impassable, deplete food supplies, and exacerbate hunger to its peak.
Carl Skau, WFPs Deputy Executive Director, stated in a press release on Thursday, "There are only a few weeks left to stockpile food supplies in parts of Darfur and Kordofan before the rainy season begins and many roads become unusable." He added that farmers also need safe access to their agricultural lands to plant crops before the rains start.
He further emphasized, "The situation is dire and rapidly deteriorating. We need to facilitate access from all sides – whether across the frontline or from neighboring countries like Chad and South Sudan."
Skau mentioned that during his visit to Sudan this week, he met with a member of the Sudanese Sovereign Council, the Humanitarian Aid Commissioner, and the Sudanese Minister of Agriculture. They acknowledged the severity of the situation and committed to facilitating deliveries through the Tina border crossing from Chad to North Darfur and considering allowing WFP convoys to pass through the currently closed Adré border crossing.
Skau welcomed the agreement between the Sudanese army and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu regarding humanitarian aid access to Kordofan through the border from South Sudan. The army also pledged to allow the UN Humanitarian Air Service, operated by the WFP, to establish an air bridge between Port Sudan and Kassala. However, he stressed, "The commitments made by all parties to facilitate humanitarian aid access must urgently be translated into reality on the ground."
A preliminary analysis by the WFP identified 41 locations at high risk of slipping into famine next month, most of which are in conflict-torn and hard-to-reach areas in Darfur, Kordofan, and Khartoum.
A statement from the Sovereign Council indicated that Shams al-Din Kabashi, a council member and the deputy commander-in-chief of the armed forces, traveled to Juba for discussions with South Sudanese officials, without providing further details.
Earlier, on May 4, Kabashi had agreed with Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, head of the SPLM-North, during their meeting in Juba, to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid in areas controlled by each party and to sign a document within a week outlining the humanitarian operations in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.
