Khartoum, MINA – The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that efforts to deliver food aid in Sudan are being hindered by the ongoing armed conflict amid an escalating hunger crisis.
Despite launching large-scale operations to assist up to 7 million people, WFP stated that humanitarian convoys are facing severe delays, particularly in famine-stricken areas.
“We have made significant breakthroughs in delivering aid to hard-to-reach areas over the past three months, but this cannot be a one-time event,” said Alex Marianelli, Acting Country Director of WFP for Sudan, as quoted by the Middle East Monitor on Friday.
The United Nations reported that WFP-led convoys heading to famine-affected areas in Darfur were delayed for nearly six weeks due to repeated obstructions from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group involved in power struggles with Sudan’s military since April 2023.
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A convoy of 40 trucks, crossing the Adre border in December 2024, was halted for almost three weeks before being redirected due to additional demands from the RSF.
“We are in urgent need of a steady flow of aid for families in the most severely impacted areas, which are also the hardest to reach,” Marianelli stated.
WFP urged all parties in Sudan to respect humanitarian neutrality and remove any obstacles hindering food delivery, noting that 24.6 million people are facing acute food insecurity, and 27 locations are experiencing or at risk of famine.
The conflict between Sudanese military forces and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has claimed over 20,000 lives and displaced 14 million people, according to the United Nations and local authorities. []
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Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)