ROME – The first WFP food shipments for desperate communities in Sudan’s Darfur have crossed the border from Chad to Adre, after the Sudanese authorities reopened it following a six-month closure.
WFP trucks carrying millet, pulses, oil and rice for 13,000 people facing famine in Kereneik, West Darfur, crossed the border on Tuesday evening. WFP has food and nutrition supplies for around 500,000 people ready to be transported quickly via the newly opened route.
“The reopening of the Adre border crossing is critical to efforts to prevent famine in Sudan and must therefore continue to be used. I would like to thank all those involved for taking this important step to help WFP deliver life-saving assistance to millions of people in need,” said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain. “We urgently need to reach every corner of Sudan with food aid – and to do this, humanitarian corridors and all border crossings must be open so that aid agencies can deliver supplies every day. This is the only way we can prevent widespread famine.”
The Adre border crossing from Chad is the most effective and shortest route to bring humanitarian aid into Sudan – and in particular the Darfur region – at the scale and speed required to respond to the major hunger crisis. From Adre, trucks can enter Darfur and reach key distribution points the same day.
Since Adre was officially closed in February, WFP has been able to manage two convoys through the Adre border crossing – one in March and one in April. Otherwise, however, WFP uses the longer route through the Tine border crossing in Chad into North Darfur, as well as long, dangerous routes from Port Sudan, across fighting fronts and through areas controlled by various militias, to reach communities in Darfur.
To address the alarming hunger situation, Sudan needs a continuous supply of food and nutritional assistance. The humanitarian needs throughout Sudan are acute. WFP is increasing food assistance in all 14 areas affected by hunger or at risk of famine. Most of these are in Darfur, Kordofan, Khartoum and Gezira. The aim is to support up to 8.4 million people by the end of the year.
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The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and providing food assistance as a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impacts of climate change.
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This article originally appeared on WFP.org.
