Geneva [Switzerland], August 17: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed news of the opening of the Adre border crossing from Chad to Sudan.
WFP is expanding aid to 14 areas in Sudan that are either suffering from or at risk of famine, mainly in Darfur, Kordofan, Khartoum and Gezira, with the aim of supporting up to 8.4 million people by the end of the year, Lenny Kinsley, spokeswoman for the World Food Programme in Sudan said in a video conference in Geneva today.
The opening of the Adra crossing comes at a crucial time when the only other border crossing from Chad to Darfur has been rendered unusable by heavy rains, and about 30 trucks carrying World Food Programme aid have been unable to cross a flooded seasonal river for almost a month, the spokeswoman said.
The WFP urgently needs to open all other border crossings into Sudan so that it can use every possible supply route to deliver needed food aid, she said, noting that the ongoing peace talks in Geneva provide a vital opportunity for the international community to directly address large-scale operational challenges and access barriers.
Source: Emirates News Agency
