The World Food Programme Reports ``Fragile Progress`` in Humanitarian Operations
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The World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Tuesday that it has delivered food assistance to more than 800,000 people in areas affected by or at risk of famine in Sudan. This effort is part of a large-scale expansion of its operations across the war-torn country. However, the WFP emphasized that recent operational progress remains "fragile" as the situation on the ground continues to be volatile and dangerous.
Since September, around 135,000 people in Zamzam Camp—the only location globally where famine has been confirmed—have received food aid through truck deliveries and locally sourced food vouchers distributed by the program.
The UN agency highlighted that it was able to assist 2.8 million people in October, marking the highest number reached in any month since the conflict began in mid-April 2023. Additionally, the WFP delivered four times more food aid in November compared to September due to increased approvals for humanitarian convoys.
The WFP stated that it is working hard to provide critical food and nutritional assistance to 14 hunger hotspots, many of which are in besieged locations in Darfur, Kordofan, Khartoum, and Gezira, where conflict continues to escalate. It also noted ongoing cross-border aid delivery through the Adré corridor with Chad. Since August, the corridor has facilitated the transport of 9,800 metric tons of aid to over 850,000 people in the Darfur region.
However, the WFP reported that fighting has prevented a convoy from reaching famine-threatened areas in North and South Kordofan, including Kadugli and Dilling. The trucks were forced to return and are now awaiting redirection to more accessible locations in South Kordofan and Blue Nile State, depending on security conditions.
The WFP also revealed that it has supported over two million people with cash-based assistance in Sudan this year, noting that the number of people receiving cash aid today is ten times higher than at the start of the year. The program underscored the need to scale up cash transfers and vouchers due to the limited humanitarian access in Sudan. It also highlighted the country’s ongoing liquidity crisis as a persistent challenge.
