WFP says 1,200 metric tons of food supplies heading to Darfur

May 29, 2024 (NEW YORK) – The World Food Programme (WFP) said 1,200 metric tons of food supplies are currently being transported across Sudan’s Darfur region.

The supplies, transported via Chad, will feed 116,000 men, women and children.

Stéphane Dujarric, a spokesman for the Secretary-General said the WFP convoy which crossed into Sudan from Chad through Tine is destined for Central Darfur and 12 locations across South Darfur, including displacement camps in Nyala.

He described the situation in Sudan as incredibly dire, amid reports that more than 7 million men, women and children are currently displaced inside the country.

“These movements have been happening since the conflict broke out in April 2023.  More than half of the displaced are children,” said Dujarric, citing additional 2 million people who have fled across borders into neighbouring countries.

The official, however, said the UN and its humanitarian partners continue to ramp up efforts to respond to rising hunger and food insecurity across the country.

WFP said food distributions are ongoing for 135,000 people in South Kordofan, stressing that the aid must safely reach the vulnerable communities it is intended for.

Meanwhile the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) earlier warned of an “increasingly dire” humanitarian situation in El Fasher, as fighting intensified in North Darfur.

Ongoing clashes between Sudan’s rival forces, OCHA said, have left many parts of the city without electricity and water, while a large segment of the population lacks access to basic necessities, including food as well as healthcare services.

(ST)