Guterres welcomes Sudan’s decision to open Adre border gate

Sudan – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed Sudan’s decision to open the Adre border crossing with Chad “for 3 months to allow humanitarian aid to enter for those affected by the war in the country.”

In this context, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement yesterday, Saturday, that “the Adre crossing is the most effective way to deliver humanitarian aid to millions of people facing hunger in the Darfur region.”

Dujarric added that Guterres welcomed the decision of the Sudanese authorities to open the border gate.

Dujarric pointed out that Guterres stressed the importance of taking concrete and sustainable measures to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid and the protection of civilians.

The spokesman said that the United Nations will remain committed to working with the concerned parties “to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people and contribute to ending the conflict.”

On July 25, the Sudanese government banned the entry of any shipments through the Adre crossing, claiming that it was being “exploited to bring in weapons for the Rapid Support Forces,” without the latter issuing any comment in this regard.

Five days later, on July 30, the United Nations called on the Sudanese authorities to open the Adre crossing to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid trucks into the Darfur region (west), in light of floods and heavy rains that are obstructing the flow of work through the Al-Tiniya border crossing in the region.

Currently, the Rapid Support Forces control 4 out of 5 states in Darfur, while engaging in violent clashes with the army in the city of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State, which is a center for humanitarian operations for all states in the region.

Since mid-April 2023, the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces have been waging a war that has left about 18,800 dead and nearly 10 million displaced and refugees, according to the United Nations.

There are growing international and UN calls to end the war in order to spare Sudan a humanitarian catastrophe that has begun to push millions to famine and death due to food shortages caused by the fighting that has spread to 13 of the 18 states.

Anatolia