More than a dozen trucks from aid agencies have crossed into Sudan from the Adre border crossing with Chad to bring relief items into areas of the Darfur region that are threatened with famine, a United Nations spokesperson said.
"WFP (World Food Program) says their trucks were carrying carrying sorghum, pulses, oil, and rice that will benefit some 13,000 people who are at risk of famine in the Kereneik area of West Darfur," U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York on Wednesday.
The International Organization for Migration has praised the move, saying the essential relief items delivered will support more than 12,000 people in need.
Sudan's sovereign council said last Thursday it would allow the use of the Adre border crossing with Chad for three months—a move long-awaited by aid agencies.
Food insecurity across Darfur
Global monitors say that more than 6 million people face food insecurity across Darfur, which is mostly controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the army's rival in a 16-month war, and that famine has taken hold in North Darfur's Zamzam camp.
The army-aligned government blocked aid deliveries in February through the Adre crossing into territory controlled by the RSF, alleging that it was being used for weapons deliveries.
“The re-opening of the Adre crossing is critical for the effort to prevent famine from spreading across Sudan, and it must now stay in use. I want to acknowledge all parties for taking this vital step to help WFP get lifesaving aid to millions of people in desperate need,” said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain.
The WFP maintains the Adre crossing from Chad is the most effective and shortest route to deliver humanitarian assistance into Sudan, and particularly the Darfur region, at the scale and speed required to respond to the huge hunger crisis.
From Adre, trucks can cross into Darfur and reach key distribution points on the very same day.
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