(Reuters) – A senior U.N. official stated that aid agencies are exploring a new route from South Sudan to deliver aid to Sudan as much of the country remains inaccessible due to the conflict. The ongoing war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has resulted in nearly half of Sudan’s population, roughly 49 million people, requiring humanitarian assistance. The conflict has also forced over 7.5 million people to flee their homes, making Sudan the largest displacement crisis globally. Additionally, hunger rates are on the rise.
Humanitarian efforts have been disrupted by looting of aid supplies and attacks on aid workers. International agencies and NGOs have faced bureaucratic obstacles in accessing the army-controlled hub of Port Sudan, as well as obtaining travel permits for other parts of the country. Rick Brennan, regional emergencies director for the World Health Organization (WHO), described the operating environment as extremely difficult during a press briefing in Cairo.
Following the RSF’s capture of Wad Madani, a former aid hub in the El Gezira agricultural region, agencies have lost access to this key area. Conflict and displacement have also been reported in South Kordofan, sparking additional challenges for delivering aid. Currently, U.N. and other agencies are primarily operating out of Port Sudan and delivering aid from Chad into the western region of Darfur, where ethnically-driven killings have occurred.
Brennan mentioned that humanitarian agencies are exploring the possibility of establishing cross-border operations from South Sudan into the southern parts of Sudan’s Kordofan states. Health services, which were already weakened prior to the conflict, have further deteriorated. Disease outbreaks, including cholera, measles, dengue fever, vaccine-derived polio, and malaria, have become major concerns in addition to soaring hunger levels.
Humanitarian access has been hampered by the actions of both the army and RSF, as the military campaigns of both sides have affected aid delivery. The RSF has been accused of failing to protect aid supplies and workers, and has been implicated in looting cases. However, both sides have denied impeding aid. The conflict originated from a popular uprising in 2019, after which the army and the RSF shared power with civilians. However, a coup in 2021 led to clashes between the two groups regarding the planned transition towards elections.
U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths criticized the lack of aid delivery, describing the customs clearances for supplies entering the country taking up to 18 days and further inspections under military supervision potentially extending the delay. The situation has been attributed to the military campaigns and bureaucratic obstacles, which Griffiths labeled as “frankly outrageous.”
(Reporting by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Christina Fincher)
