Sudan: Washington and the UN denounce the blocking of humanitarian aid intended for Darfur
The United States and the UN denounce Khartoum's blocking of humanitarian aid intended for Darfur, a region in western Sudan where 12 million Sudanese are threatened by famine due to the war in the country.
Because according to Washington, Khartoum recently banned the passage of all convoys passing through the nearby border with Chad.
This prevents assistance to populations in areas controlled by the paramilitary forces of General “Hemedti”, while the humanitarian situation is catastrophic.
Destructions after bombings in El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, on September 1, 2023. AFP - -
By: RFI Follow
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While the war in Sudan is in its tenth month, this decision prevents assistance to populations in areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (FSR) of General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, known as "Hemedti", who are fighting the army regular, led by General Abdel Fatah al-Burhan.
Humanitarian organizations denounce the decision, expressing alarm at the catastrophic situation, including Leni Kinzli, spokesperson for the World Food Program in Sudan.
Currently, WFP cannot transport any food aid from Chad to Darfur across the border.
We can provide emergency aid to the east of the country via Port Sudan.
But we cannot transport it from the east to the west to reach Darfur.
And we cannot move from areas controlled by the army to areas controlled by the paramilitaries.
A few weeks ago, the government designated the paramilitary forces a terrorist organization, and cited security reasons for banning the delivery of aid across the border with Chad.
This decision comes at a critical time when we should be distributing food assistance.
We are experiencing record levels of hunger while we are in the midst of the harvest season, especially in conflict zones, such as Darfur.
We are receiving reports of extreme food insecurity, of children starving to death in camps in Darfur.
Without free access, we warn of an imminent food catastrophe.
01:01
Leni Kinzli, spokesperson for the WFP in Sudan, denounces the blockage of humanitarian aid
Alexandra Brangeon
Sudan's Foreign Ministry rejected Washington's "
false accusations
", saying the Sudanese-Chadian border was "
the main entry point for weapons and equipment
" used to commit "
atrocities
" against the Sudanese.
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