UN relief coordinator welcomes decision on Adre border crossing
November 13, 2024 (PORT SUDAN) – The UN Resident Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami has welcomed the decision by Sudanese authorities to continue allowing the delivery of humanitarian aid through the Adre border crossing point from Chad to Darfur for another three months.
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 November 15.
“Humanitarians in Sudan welcome this decision as the Adre border crossing is a critical lifeline for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people across the country, especially in Darfur,” said Nkweta-Salami.
“Keeping the Adre border open means humanitarians can continue to deliver emergency food and nutrition supplies, medicine, shelter, and other life-saving assistance to hundreds of thousands of hungry, malnourished mothers and children, people suffering from diseases, and others that desperately need these supplies,” she added.
Since the re-opening of the Adre border crossing in mid-August, at least 377 aid trucks have crossed from Chad into Sudan carrying essential supplies for about 1.4 million vulnerable people, including the acutely food insecure and at risk of famine.
The UN official has also emphasized the need for additional funds to maintain operations via Adre and scale up efforts to reach more people in need. Currently, the $2.7 billion Sudan humanitarian appeal for 2024 is reportedly 57 per cent funded, impacting humanitarian’s ability to scale up response.
Between January and September 2024, aid agencies reportedly reached about 12.6 million people across Sudan with some form of humanitarian assistance.
(ST)