Darfur Relief Efforts Get Boost with New Aid Routes

Minnawi chairs a meeting on relief distribution in Darfur region on March 20, 2024

March 20, 2024 (PORT SUDAN) – Minni Arko Minawi, governor of the Darfur region, announced an agreement with UN agencies to establish new routes for delivering humanitarian aid to those affected by the conflict in Darfur.

Earlier this month, Sudan announced that it would allow WFP to resume cross-border aid deliveries from Chad and open a new corridor from South Sudan. The military-led government also confirmed the opening of three other airports in addition to the Port Sudan terminal on the Red Sea.

However, UN officials call for opening more border crossings to get aid into the Darfur region, which has recorded some of the highest rates of hunger and malnutrition.

Minawi met with UN officials to discuss the situation and how to get aid to those in need. After the meeting, he stated on his Facebook page, “We agreed to use new routes from Port Sudan, transiting through the Northern State, and then into Darfur. We’ll also explore distributing aid through all (the Darfur) states.”

He elaborated that aid would additionally flow through the Tina border with Chad. “We’ll create additional paths to improve the humanitarian situation and prevent further worsening,” he added. “We’ll work closely with organizations and governors to manage the crisis.”

In a separate statement to the media, Minawi indicated that it was agreed to deliver relief supplies to Al-Fasher, North Darfur, for distribution via Al-Daba of Northern State. This route was chosen because it is shorter than Al-Obeid of North Kordofan State.

He emphasized that this doesn’t eliminate the use of Al-Obeid Road and that they would facilitate crossing it in the coming days.

The meeting included governors from Central, South, and West Darfur. It was also confirmed that humanitarian supplies would be received from Chad via the Tina border.

UN agencies estimate that 90 per cent of the people in IPC Phase 4 who urgently need lifesaving food assistance are trapped in areas that are largely inaccessible to humanitarian agencies. These include conflict hotspots such as Khartoum, Gezira State, the Kordofan states, and the Darfur States.

Carl Skau, WFP Chief Operating Officer, briefed the Security Council on Wednesday that he is deeply concerned that hunger will spike even higher in the weeks ahead when Sudan’s lean season arrives in May.

He added that cross-border operations are not the only solution, as they are considerably more expensive and time-consuming. “Within Sudan, we also need access across conflict lines as a more cost-effective and efficient way to scale up our operations”.

“Without sustained access and resources needed to scale up our responses, there is a high risk we will see IPC level 5 or catastrophic food insecurity,” he stressed.

(ST)