A senior government official in Sudan’s West Darfur State said cross-border trade between the state and neighboring Chad is flowing without difficulties, saying there is a regular flow of essential goods.
Dow al-Bait Adam, State Advisor for Peace and Reconciliation, told Radio Tamazuj Saturday that the flow of goods and foodstuffs from Chad to Sudan is normal, pointing out that this happened after contacts made by the Caretaker Governor of West Darfur State, Al-Tijani Al-Taher Karshoum, with his counterpart in the Chadian state of Abeche and the commissioner of Adre.
According to the state advisor, discussions on both sides focused on opening border crossings, facilitating the movement of traders, and security aspects.
The Western Darfur official said the Chadian side has been fully cooperating with their government and the people of Sudan, especially citizens of West Darfur State. He added that the goods had arrived in Central and South Darfur States from Chad.
“The state government pushed the Chamber of Commerce to sit with its Chadian counterpart, and they coordinated, and the goods flowed without any challenges,” Adam said. “To ensure the flow of basic goods between the two countries, the Chadian side requested the presence of regular forces on the Sudanese side.”
The advisor pointed out that the state government has recently deployed security forces to provide security along the common border, saying the move has created a safe environment that reassured businesspeople.
The caretaker governor has recently visited the southern localities of the state and the administrative units to assess the security situation there and appealed to residents to help maintain security and stability.
An estimated 9,000 people have been killed and another 5.6 million forced to flee their homes since the war broke out between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in mid-April, according to the United Nations.
About 18,750 people were newly displaced within Sudan over the past week, bringing the total number of people displaced across the country since mid-April to 4.57 million, UN figures show.
There is an increasing concern for those trapped and displaced by the war, and aid workers and civilians have said there’s a dire lack of essential services, medical care, food, and water.