Sudanese Ayoub Abu Fatema, head of a non-governmental organization, receives aid from King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center at Port Sudan airport on Thursday, May 11, 2023. ©AP PhotoThe World Food Program (WFP) has now reached more than 600,000 vulnerable people with food and nutrition aid since it resumed distributions in Sudan, a UN spokesman in New York said on Friday.
Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres said: “In three states in the Darfur region – north, south and east – WFP has reached an estimated 180,000 people.”
According to Stéphane Dujarric, the agency plans to start distribution in central Darfur in the coming days.
“As of today, WFP has resumed distributions in Blue Nile State,” he said.
However, the World Health Organization has confirmed eight new reports of attacks on health facilities in the past two weeks, which brings the total number of verified attacks since the latest round of fighting in Sudan to 38.
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Meanwhile, fighting continues in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum and in the West Darfur region despite reports from Saudi Arabia and the United States that the warring parties are better adhering to a new week-long ceasefire after days of sporadic fights.
The last break is the seventh truce attempt after the others have been breached.
The conflict in Sudan erupted in mid-April after months of mounting tensions between the military, led by General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, a powerful paramilitary group commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
Amid the reported calm on Thursday, humanitarian missions were able to deliver “urgently needed medical supplies to several locations in Sudan,” the joint statement said.
Efforts were also underway to restore telecommunications services in Khartoum and other parts of the country.
Sudanese displaced people wait under glass at Port Sudan airport, Thursday, May 11, 2023. Amr Nabil/Copyright 2023 The AP. All rights reservedUS Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned both sides of possible sanctions if the latest ceasefire was not respected.
The UN says more than a million Sudanese have been internally displaced, while some 300,000 have fled to neighboring countries.
The conflict has killed more than 860 civilians, including at least 190 children, according to the latest data from the Sudanese Doctors Union.
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