UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths arrived in Sudan on Wednesday May 3 by sea, in Port Sudan, where tens of thousands of Sudanese are stationed to flee the conflict. The UN official appealed to both sides for safe passage for humanitarian aid and to those who criticize the UN for not doing enough, he insisted he was ” extremely difficult for its teams to work in Sudan, because the militias rule there: nearly 17,000 tons of humanitarian aid have been stolen.
With our correspondent in New York, Carrie Nooten
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths didn’t have to look far to explain how much he was difficult for its teams to carry out their humanitarian missions : six trucks of the World Food Program (WFP) have been looted in recent days on the road. Like stagecoach robbers, they are members of militias, criminals, or sometimes even soldiers of one side or the other who take off their uniforms when not in combat, put on a balaclava and put on plays the humanitarian convoys.
They are bandits, in the eyes of the UN, who hijacked 17 000 tons of goods transported by the United Nations, out of the 80 000 that the organization had. Or almost a quarter of its reserves.
The situation is not new: thefts have become common in Sudan for two years. But this observation is shocking again given the violent context, the soaring prices of basic consumer goods and the needs of civilians, especially in Khartoum. 100 000 refugees have already crossed the Sudanese borders. The UN estimates that if the situation gets worse, it will be nearly 800 000 people who could leave the country.
In Port #Sudan, @volkerperthes and I spoke with General Burhan, General Hemedti and civil society leaders.
We stressed that humanitarian aid must reach the people. But we need strong guarantees on the safety and security of aid workers and supplies. pic.twitter.com/cj4tpNApuh
—Martin Griffiths (@UNReliefChief) May 3, 2023
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