UN official decries blockage of aid for needy in Sudan
February 9, 2025 (PORT SUDAN) – The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami has decried the continued impediments to humanitarian operations in Darfur, a region currently experiencing food insecurity and widespread suffering.
In a statement issued on Monday, Nkweta-Salami said the humanitarian crisis demands urgent and unimpeded access to aid, yet the persistent restrictions and bureaucratic hurdles imposed by the Sudanese Agency for Relief and Humanitarian Operations (SARHO), an affiliate of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), are preventing life-saving assistance from reaching those in desperate need.
“Despite repeated commitments made by SARHO, humanitarian actors continue to face obstruction, undue interference, and operational restrictions that contravene international humanitarian law and the obligations outlined in the Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan of May 2023,” partly reads the statement.
“The world is watching, and it is unacceptable that the humanitarian community in Sudan — comprising United Nations agencies, international and local non-governmental organizations — is unable to deliver essential aid due to actions by those who have pledged to facilitate assistance,” it added.
The top UN official appealed to SARHO to return to comprehensive and meaningful engagement through dialogue and negotiations with the humanitarian community as a whole to guarantee the delivery of urgent life-saving aid, as outlined in the Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan signed on 11 May 2023.
“Simplify bureaucratic procedures for aid convoys by eliminating unnecessary approvals and ensuring efficiency in the movement of humanitarian supplies. End interference in humanitarian operations, including demands for logistical support or mandatory engagement with selected vendors that risk corruption and aid diversion,” stressed Nkweta-Salami.
She added, “The humanitarian community in Sudan calls on SARHO to do its utmost to ensure the safety of humanitarian workers, assets, and operations to ensure their ability to function without threats or coercion. We stand ready to work with all actors in good faith to ensure that assistance reaches those in urgent need.”
Sudan is facing one of the most challenging periods in its modern history as the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the (RSF) plunges the nation deeper into turmoil.
The war, which erupted in April 2023, has devastated communities, displaced millions and exacerbated an already dire humanitarian crisis, according to the UN.
(ST)