UNITED NATIONS, June 30 — Continued violence and a widening cholera outbreak are compounding humanitarian needs across Sudan, UN humanitarians said Monday.
While armed clashes continue near the Chadian border, some humanitarian partners reported that their operations have been suspended due to the worsening security conditions and communications disruptions, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
OCHA welcomed Monday’s announcement from the Sudanese government to extend the opening of the Adre border crossing with Chad until Sept. 30, saying this will allow the world body to continue to deliver humanitarian aid to those in need.
In North Darfur, according to humanitarian partners, a drone strike on Tuesday hit a civilian vehicle in Sari village, reportedly causing at least 30 civilian casualties. Later the same day, another drone reportedly struck a market, also causing casualties, OCHA said.
Also on Tuesday, field teams from the International Organization for Migration estimated that more than 1,400 people were displaced from five villages in Um Baru locality in North Darfur due to high insecurity, the office said.
In North Kordofan, drone attacks on the capital city of El Obeid have continued for a third consecutive week. According to local sources, a drone strike on Saturday reportedly hit areas near a girls’ school, injuring at least eight female students, OCHA said.
In West Kordofan, cholera cases continue to rise. To date, health authorities have reported nearly 800 suspected cases and 71 associated deaths, it said.
OCHA said its partners in health, water and sanitation are scaling up the response through the operation of cholera treatment facilities, deployment of rapid response teams, strengthened disease surveillance, water chlorination efforts, and the distribution of cholera supplies, supported by the World Health Organization.
However, constrained access, limited operational presence and severe water shortages continue to hamper the response, the office said.
Despite the volatile operational environment, humanitarian partners continue to deliver assistance across Darfur. In West Darfur, partners completed cash distributions last week to 250 families across three locations in the Kreinik locality. In addition, general food assistance was delivered across four administrative units in Foro Baranga locality, reaching more than 42,600 people with monthly food rations, OCHA said.
In White Nile State, nutrition partners reached nearly 150,000 children and close to 10,000 pregnant women through a large-scale integrated campaign across Aldouim, Tandalti and Al Jabalain localities, it said.
OCHA called again on all parties to the conflict to ensure the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and to allow unimpeded humanitarian access to all those in need across Sudan. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
