UN aid agencies on Friday welcomed the news that the Sudanese authorities will open Adre border crossing from Chad into Sudan, as the war-torn country faces famine or acute hunger in many regions, with many roads impassable owing to heavy rains.
The vital humanitarian corridor will allow the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to scale up assistance to 14 areas facing famine in Darfur, Kordofan, Khartoum and Al Jazirah.
Convoys primed to go
"As we speak, two convoys with nearly 6,000 metric tons of food and nutrition supplies for around half a million people, are being loaded, destined for risk-of-famine areas in north, central and west Darfur states as soon as official Government communication and clearances are received," said Leni Kinzli, spokesperson for WFP Sudan.
Just two weeks ago, famine was confirmed in Zamzam displacement camp near El Fasher, the wartorn capital of North Darfur. It shelters more than 400,000 displaced people.
In total, WFP aims to support up to 8.4 million people by the end of the year,
Sudan's war - which erupted 16 months ago between rival militaries the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces - has ravaged food production, destroyed essential markets and cut off communities from assistance.
Along with heavy fighting, the continuing rainy season has already caused major setbacks in delivering assistance, with flooded roads halting aid convoys.
"More than 50 trucks carrying an estimated 4,800 metric tons of food and nutrition assistance, enough for around half a million people, are stuck in various locations across Sudan and unable to move toward their final destinations due to flooded and impassable roads," said WFP's Ms. Kinzli, who insisted that humanitarian agencies urgently needed to "see the actual opening of (Adre) materialize and see trucks moving across the border as soon as possible".
Hunger's lasting impact
Echoing that message, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted the immediate and lasting effects of poor nutrition and acute food insecurity among vulnerable people.
WHO spokesperson Dr. Margaret Harris told journalists in Geneva that a mild infection in a malnourished person with a weakened immune system can easily turn into a catastrophic illness.
Children in particular can die very quickly from what might be a minor infection, she said, adding that after 16 months of heavy fighting, Sudan was poorly equipped to provide lifesaving medical care, with up to 80 per cent of hospitals "non-functional".
She added: "People are dying simply from a lack of access to basic and essential healthcare medication. We are seeing reports of cholera, measles, malaria, dengue and meningitis from several states."
Preventable tragedy
The development comes amid ongoing conflict including a bombing attack on Wednesday that devastated a school and market in the city of El Obeid, leaving five girls dead and 20 children injured.
The UN migration agency IOM has also warned that Sudan is at "breaking point" and that there will be tens of thousands of preventable deaths from hunger, disease, floods and violence in the coming months without a larger global response.
According to IOM, more than 10.7 million people are seeking safety within the country and many have been displaced twice or more times. Almost all internally displaced persons across Sudan - 97 per cent - are in localities with acute levels of food insecurity or worse.
