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U.N. welcomes Adre crossing extension as key lifeline for aid to Darfur; warns of attacks on civilians and humanitarian assets
Summary
U.N. officials said the Adre crossing between eastern Chad and Darfur will remain available for humanitarian movement, enabling deliveries that have reached millions, but warned bureaucratic impediments and attacks continue to hamper operations and have recently displaced more people in North Darfur.
The United Nations said the Adre crossing between eastern Chad and Darfur will remain available for movement of humanitarian personnel and supplies, a development U.N. officials described as vital for sustaining aid flows to Darfur.
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher and the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Sudan welcomed the extension of access at Adre; U.N. officials said that since it reopened eight months ago, nearly 1,600 trucks carrying about 52,500 metric tons of humanitarian cargo have entered Sudan via Adre, delivering assistance estimated to reach some 2.3 million people.
Nut graf: Officials warned that, despite Adre remaining open, bureaucratic impediments and continuing hostilities are constraining operations. The U.N. said renewed clashes and shelling in North Darfur have displaced at least 1,700 people this week and that attacks against civilians and humanitarian facilities must stop.
The briefing cited specific incidents: shelling in El Fasher reportedly damaged an NGO compound; artillery fire damaged a water truck the U.N. was supporting at a hospital compound and interrupted water deliveries to roughly 1,000 seriously ill patients. The U.N. also said a WFP convoy carrying food and nutrition supplies serving nearly 100,000 people in El Fasher had departed Dabba in northern state and was en route.
Ending: The U.N. urged unfettered humanitarian access by all necessary routes, protection of civilians, and an immediate cessation of hostilities to maintain and expand life-saving operations.
