Sudan aid delivery talks hailed as ‘constructive’ by UN humanitarian chief

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher held what he called “constructive” talks with Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan to ensure life-saving aid reaches all corners of the war-ravaged country.

Since April 2023, the war between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions, creating one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.

“I very much welcome the constructive conversations with President Burhan this afternoon, aimed at ensuring we can continue to operate everywhere across Sudan to deliver in a neutral, independent and impartial way for all those in such dire need,” Fletcher said in a video released by Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council.

The UN official’s comments came after he met with Burhan in Port Sudan, the de facto capital.

During the meeting, Burhan asserted “Sudan’s keenness on cooperating with the United Nations and its various agencies”, according to the army-backed council.

Fletcher, who arrived in Sudan on Tuesday for a week-long mission, said on X he would work “to stop the atrocities, back peace efforts, uphold the UN charter, and push for our teams to get the access and funding they need to save lives across the battle lines”. 

The talks come two weeks after the RSF captured El-Fasher, the last army stronghold in western Darfur. 

Days later, on October 29, the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) said on that its two top staff in Sudan had been “designated as persona non grata” and given three days to leave the country by the foreign ministry.

WFP and senior UN officials were engaging with Sudanese authorities to protest the decision, which came “at a pivotal time”, the WFP said.

Read more‘People are dying of hunger’: Darfur resident explains what life is like for besieged civilians

“Humanitarian needs in Sudan have never been greater with more than 24 million people facing acute food insecurity and communities impacted by famine,” it said.

“At a moment when WFP and its partners need to be expanding their reach, this decision forces WFP to implement unplanned leadership changes, jeopardising operations that support millions of vulnerable Sudanese facing extreme hunger, malnutrition, and even starvation,” the WFP said.

Read moreAtrocities in Sudan’s el-Fasher could constitute war crimes, ICC says

Burhan had previously vowed his forces would “take revenge” and fight “until this land is purified”. 

On Tuesday, Fletcher also met top Egyptian and Sudanese diplomats in Port Sudan, according to a statement from Cairo’s foreign ministry. 

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty called for “strengthening the international response to the current crisis and ensuring humanitarian aid reaches the most affected groups”. 

Despite the RSF agreeing to a truce mediated by the US, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Egypt last Thursday, attacks have continued. 

On the day paramilitaries agreed to the truce, the Sudanese Doctors’ Union said the RSF shelled a hospital in South Kordofan, killing five, while explosions were heard in Khartoum the following day.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)