Bashir directs to facilitate delivery of humanitarian aid to South Sudan

February 23, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir, Thursday, has directed his government to provide the necessary support and to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid and relief supplies to the needy civilian in the neighbouring South Sudan.

South Sudan, which has been mired in civil war since December 2013, is now Africa’s largest refugee crisis and the world’s third largest behind Syria and Afghanistan.

Government officials declared that some parts of the war-ravaged country, particularly in the Unity province are suffering famine. At least 100,000 people are facing starvation in parts of the country while 4.9 million of them need urgent humanitarian assistance.

Al-Bashir “directed the concerned authorities to provide support to our brothers in the Republic of South Sudan in coordination with the competent South Sudanese ministries and institutions in order to facilitate and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid and relief supplies to the needy,” said a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry spokesperson Gharib Allah Khidir on Thursday.

the Sudanese president further “ordered to ensure all the necessary facilities for the entry of any humanitarian assistance for South Sudan through the Sudanese territory, both from United Nations organisations and agencies or sisterly and friendly countries”.

Khidir said these directives aim to ensure the success of the international humanitarian campaign aimed at alleviating the suffering of the South Sudanese people.

Since 2014, Sudan opened river and road humanitarian corridors enabling UN agencies to use trucks and river barges to deliver humanitarian aid to the northern parts of South Sudan.

Last Tuesday President Salva Kiir pledged to provide aid agencies unimpeded access to the needy population across the country.

(ST)