Major Food Aid Scale-Up Underway in Famine-Hit Sudan, WFP Reports

The World Food Programme (WFP) has dispatched 700 trucks with 17,500 tonnes of food to Sudan’s famine-hit regions, aiming to assist 1.5 million people affected by ongoing conflict.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has announced a major food aid operation in Sudan, with more than 700 trucks en route to famine-stricken regions, following clearance from the Sudanese government. This effort aims to deliver crucial food assistance to areas devastated by ongoing conflict.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in violent clashes between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), worsening food shortages and disease across the country. Both sides have been accused of obstructing aid deliveries, with the RSF looting food supplies and the army imposing bureaucratic delays.

WFP Sudan spokesperson Leni Kinzli stated that the 700 trucks will carry approximately 17,500 tonnes of food, enough to provide for 1.5 million people for a month. "We’ve received around 700 clearances from the Sudanese government to begin transporting assistance to some of these hard-to-reach areas," Kinzli said in a press briefing in Geneva. The onset of the dry season has also helped facilitate this large-scale delivery.

The WFP fleet, clearly marked for identification, hopes to ease access to these areas, including 14 locations facing famine or at risk of famine, such as the Zamzam camp in Darfur. The first shipment arrived on Friday, bringing relief to people who had been forced to eat crushed peanut shells normally fed to animals, prompting cheers from the crowd.

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