Heavy rains and flooding are hampering deliveries of life-saving aid across Sudan, while ongoing fighting is “exacerbating the spread of cholera and other infectious diseases,” UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said Wednesday.
He noted that Darfur has been hit hard, citing devastating landslides in the Jebel Marra area. The World Food Programme is working to get assistance into communities “largely besieged by floods,” he added.
Dujarric welcomed confirmation that the Adré border crossing between Sudan and Chad will remain open to humanitarian cargo and personnel through year-end, calling it a “vital lifeline for millions” in Darfur and Kordofan. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, more than 86,000 metric tons of aid have moved through Adré—enough to support over 3.1 million people.
He said the UN remains committed to reaching people “wherever access is possible,” but stressed that an immediate cessation of hostilities and renewed diplomatic efforts are essential to move the country forward.
