Sudan extends opening of Chad border crossing indefinitely to huamniatian aid

November 13,  (PORT SUDAN) – Sudan’s government on Wednesday extended the opening of its Adré border crossing with Chad indefinitely to allow humanitarian aid into its war-torn Darfur region, the sovereign council said in a statement.

The crossing was opened in August for three months, under pressure from the United Nations and Western countries, to allow aid to reach Darfur, where conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) broke out in April. That permission was set to expire on Nov. 15.

The statement said that the decision to extend it followed a meeting on Tuesday between the government, U.N. agencies, and other aid groups.

Sudan’s representative to the United Nations, Al-Harith Idris, said on Tuesday that military equipment for the RSF had been seen crossing at Adré. He further announced conditions for aid delivery through the crossing.

In October, Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim, head of the Justice and Equality Movement, a former rebel group, demanded the crossing’s closure, saying it had become a main route for supplying the RSF.