CAIRO, Egypt (AP) — Sudan’s military-controlled government said Wednesday that a key border crossing with Chad will remain open to keep much-needed humanitarian aid flowing to the hard-hit Darfur region.
The decision on the Adre crossing followed a meeting with United Nations agencies and local and international aid groups, Sudan’s ruling Sovereign Council said in a statement.
The border crossing, which was closed earlier this year, was reopened in August for three months by the Sovereign Council to address the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Darfur. Famine has been confirmed in the Zamzam displaced persons camp near al-Fasher, the provincial capital of West Darfur.
War in Sudan broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Global experts from the Famine Review Committee warn that more than 25 million people – more than half of Sudan’s population – are expected to face acute hunger this year.
The war has also caused the world’s largest displacement crisis, forcing more than 14 million people to flee their homes.
The Adre crossing is a lifeline. Over the past three months, more than 300 aid trucks have crossed the border into Sudan, delivering assistance to more than 1 million people.
Aid groups welcomed news of the extension on Wednesday and called on all parties to stop obstructing humanitarian aid.
“This decision, if supported and supported by streamlined processes, could be a lifeline for the 5.3 million children and families on the brink of starvation,” Mathilde Vu, advocacy manager in Sudan for the Norwegian Refugee Council, told The Associated Press.
The international community must seize the moment and scale up financing to accelerate the response, she said.
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Mednick reported from Dakar, Senegal.
