Sudan and South Sudan on Tuesday agreed to extend a joint agreement on transit of humanitarian aid through Sudanese territory to the needy in South Sudan.

The two countries convened a meeting in Addis Ababa where they decided to extend the deal for one year as of the 1st of July 2016 until the end of June 2018. The agreement will enable WFP to take food from Sudan and South Sudan.

“My colleague the commissioner for Humanitarian Aid Commission in Sudan agreed to extend our cooperation on humanitarian delivery for one more year to enable WFP transport relief from Sudan to South Sudan”, said Paul Dhel Gum, Deputy Chairperson of South Sudan’s Relief and Rehabilitation Commission.

The relief transit deal between the two sides was witnessed by representatives of the United Nations World Food Programme in both South Sudan and Sudan. Tito Nikodimos represented WFP Sudan and Peter Schaller represented WPF South Sudan.

The United Nations World Food Programme, according to the deal, will submit corridor operation projections to Sudan for delivery of up to 900,000 metric tons of food assistance from July 2017 to June 2018.

The government of Sudan will authorize air delivery from El-Obeid as an alternative mode of delivery to areas where it is needed in South Sudan. The transport from Kosti will also be used in coordination with the knowledge and in coordination with the government of South Sudan.