Aid supplies reach Sudan’s capital for first time since civil war began

Food aid has arrived in Sudan’s capital for the first time since the civil war broke out last year. In Khartoum, 28 trucks with food arrived on Thursday for the population facing a serious food crisis, the BBC reports.

There were “tears of joy” as the trucks with aid entered the city, aid worker Duaa Tariq told the BBC.

“Here in Khartoum we desperately need this aid. We have been waiting for it for a long time and have tried in many ways to get it here,” Tariq said. “The only way to stop the famine in Khartoum is through humanitarian aid like this.”

The United Nations food watchdog, the IPC, warned last week that the civil war and poor access to humanitarian aid will lead to a food crisis. More than 24 million Sudanese, half the population, are said to be suffering from acute food insecurity.

Roads blocked

Aid organizations have been saying for some time that the delivery of aid supplies is being hampered. For example, roads are being blocked by the army and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

These two parties have been fighting for power since last year. Both are guilty of human rights violations, UN human rights organization OHCHR wrote in a report this year.

More than 10 million people have been forced to flee because of the civil war. According to the UN, this is the largest displacement crisis in the world.