Sudan extends opening of Adre border crossing with Chad for humanitarian aid

​​​​​​​By Adel Abdelrheem and Rania Abu Shamala

KHARTOUM, Sudan/ISTANBUL (AA) - The Sudanese government said Tuesday that it extended the opening of the Adre border crossing on the western frontier with Chad for humanitarian relief organizations until the end of this year.

The Foreign Ministry said the step “confirms the government’s commitment to ensuring the arrival of relief” and as a gesture of goodwill to facilitate humanitarian work and coordinate with relief organizations operating in Sudan.

The extension follows an Aug. 20 appeal from members of the Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan (ALPS) group, which includes the US, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, along with the African Union and the UN, which urged humanitarian pauses to allow aid deliveries and a long-term extension of the opening.

The ministry noted that the decision coincides with the landslide disaster in Tarsin village, Jebel Marra, in Central Darfur State, which claimed hundreds of lives on Tuesday.

The civilian authority of the Sudan Liberation Movement announced Tuesday that more than 1,000 people had died in Tarsin from landslides caused by heavy rains.

The Transitional Sovereignty Council also announced mobilizing all resources to support those affected in Tarsin.

Since Aug. 15, 2024, Khartoum has opened the Adre crossing several times for varying periods, most recently May 14, when the government extended the opening for three months to deliver aid to Darfur, before announcing the new extension Tuesday..

On July 25, 2024, however, the Sudanese government barred any shipments from entering through the crossing, claiming it was being used to smuggle weapons to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), though the latter did not comment.

The RSF controls four of Darfur’s five states, while fierce battles continue with the army in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, which also serves as the hub for humanitarian operations across the region.

The UN has warned of worsening famine in Darfur, where large numbers of displaced people are concentrated, especially in El-Fasher.