World Food Program, Egypt launch humanitarian corridor to conflict-ridden Sudan

By Mohammad Farid Mahmoud Abdullah

ISTANBUL (AA) – The World Food Program (WFP) and Egypt on Tuesday launched a safe humanitarian corridor to support thousands of Sudanese trapped by the conflict that has been raging in the country for more than two months.

In a statement, WFP said the humanitarian corridor was opened between Aswan in southern Egypt and Wadi Halfa in Sudan “to address the urgent needs of people affected by the ongoing conflict.”

The UN agency said a shipment of 50 metric tons of essential food assistance was sent into Sudan as part of the corridor on June 16.

The assistance will help “alleviate the suffering of thousands of people who have become highly vulnerable due to the conflict,” it added.

The organization said that the humanitarian corridor acts as a “passageway for WFP, UN agencies, development organizations, and humanitarian partners.”

"While WFP continues to provide support to those arriving in Egypt through food and cash assistance, we are also committed to assisting people inside Sudan,” said WFP Representative and Country Director in Egypt Praveen Agrawal.

“This humanitarian corridor is the result of the great partnerships that the Egyptian Government has with development partners. We are now able to take our aid where it is most needed," he added.

WFP said it also launched an emergency cash assistance program through its pre-established cash delivery platform, reaching over 130,000 Sudanese people since the outbreak of the conflict.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that around 800,000 people may flee Sudan to neighboring countries as a result of the current conflict.

Sudan has been ravaged by fighting between the army and the RSF since April, in a conflict that killed nearly 1,000 civilians and injured 5,000 others, according to local medics.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 2.2 million people have been displaced by the current conflict in Sudan.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara