A World Food Programme (WFP) convoy arrived in the Zamzam camp in North Darfur, Sudan, on Friday – the first since famine was declared there three months ago, the UN agency has reported.
WFP announced a major surge in its operations across Sudan, part of a scale-up effort to reach millions in the most needy and isolated conflict areas.
More than 700 trucks carrying emergency food aid are on the way to communities across the country, including 14 “hotspots” that are facing severe food insecurity and the threat of famine.
They are transporting some 17,500 tonnes of food assistance, enough to feed 1.5 million people for one month.
‘More than just food’
Laurent Bukera, WFP Regional Director for Eastern Africa, said the agency has been pushing to reach all isolated conflict zones in Sudan.
“These trucks carry more than just food; they carry a lifeline for people caught in the crossfire of conflict and hunger. We need guaranteed safe passage for our trucks and sustained international support to reach every family at risk,” he said.
Since September, WFP has delivered food assistance to an average of two million people each month across Sudan – a number that will grow with this latest surge effort.
Millions going hungry
Sudan is among the world’s worst hunger crises as the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and rival military the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continue their brutal war.
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The country is now home to half of the world’s population facing catastrophic hunger. Roughly 4.7 million children under the age of five, and pregnant and/or breastfeeding women, are suffering from acute malnutrition.
The convoy that arrived in Zamzam is the first to reach the camp since famine was confirmed in August. WFP said the combination of fighting around the North Darfur capital, El Fasher, and impassable roads brought on by the rainy season from June to September, severed incoming transport of food assistance for months.
In the interim, WFP drew on locally sourced food commodities to feed 100,000 people in the camp during September and October.
Overall, the agency has supported seven million people in Sudan in 2024 and aims to reach more than eight million by the end of the year.
Keep border crossings open
Sudanese authorities recently extended the use of the Adre border crossing with Chad by three months, which WFP welcomed.
The crossing is a critical conduit for humanitarian shipments into the war-torn country.
WFP reiterated its call for all border crossings into Sudan to remain open and fully operational so that life-saving aid can reach those in urgent need.
