Sudan rejects UN food aid delivery via Chad border

Port Sudan, March 2, 2024 – The Sudanese Foreign Minister, Ali Al-Sadiq, rejected a request from the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) to bring humanitarian aid across the border with Chad.

On Saturday, the Minister met with the Deputy Executive Director of the WFP and Director of its Executive Operations, Karl Schaw, on the sidelines of his participation in the Antalya Diplomatic Forum held in Turkey.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, “Karl Schaw expressed the program’s desire to use the Chadian border to deliver aid.”

However, according to the statement, the minister stressed, “It is not possible to compromise the security and stability of the country after it was proven that the Chadian border was used in arms transfers to the rebel Rapid Support Forces, a militia engaged in conflict with the Sudanese government.”

Sudan accuses Chad, among several countries, of being involved in supplying weapons to the Rapid Support Forces through corridors in which the UAE contributes.

Ali Al-Sadiq advised the WFP to purchase humanitarian aid from local markets to meet the needs of citizens, in addition to examining the possibility of introducing relief in agreed-upon ways.

According to the United Nations, 25 million Sudanese need humanitarian aid, including nearly 18 million people who suffer from acute food insecurity. This comes at a time when UN agencies are complaining of weak funding for their plan to provide aid to millions affected by the conflict.

Humanitarian organizations accuse government forces of obstructing aid delivery to vulnerable populations, especially since there are 6.3 million people displaced from their homes in search of safety, most of whom live in catastrophic conditions.