A food aid convoy has arrived in North Darfur’s Zamzam camp for the first time since famine was confirmed in August in Sudan, the World Food Program (WFP) announced Friday.
The combination of fighting around North Darfur’s capital El Fasher, and the impassable roads due to the rainy season from June to September, cut off transport of food assistance for months.
Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, said the latest convoy took two weeks to reach Zamzam from the Adre crossing on the Chadian border.
“Basically, it took them two weeks to drive 400km,’’ he said.
Dujarric quoted WFP saying that further convoys remained en route to other hard-to-reach areas, including 14 locations that the agency characterizes as “hotspots” due to the severity of food insecurity and the risk of famine.
The spokesperson disclosed that the trucks would carry 17,500 tons of food, enough to feed 1.5 million people for one month.
Since September, WFP has delivered food to an average of 2 million people each month across Sudan. WFP expects that this number will grow with this latest surge in its operations across the country.
Sudan is home to half of the world’s population facing catastrophic hunger.
WFP reiterates its call for all border crossings into Sudan to remain open and operational, so that life-saving aid can pour in.
Meanwhile, Dujarric said the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan reported that sporadic gunfire took place in Juba, on Thursday evening.
The Mission said that the situation was now calm, and people were gradually resuming their normal activities, although a significant military presence remained in place in parts of the city, he added.
The spokesperson pointed out that the UN Mission pledged to continue to monitor the developments in South Sudan.
Heavy gunfire erupted in Juba on Thursday in an attempt to relocate former spy chief Gen Akol Koor. The gunfire began around 7 pm (1700GMT) and continued sporadically until 10 pm.