The World Food Programme has warned that time is running out to prevent famine in the Darfur region of Sudan as clashes escalate in the city of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, hindering efforts to deliver vital food aid to the area. The UN-affiliated program stated in a statement that civilians in El Fasher and the entire Darfur region are already facing "devastating levels" of hunger, although food aid had been arriving intermittently "due to fighting and endless bureaucratic obstacles."
It added: "However, the recent escalation of violence around El Fasher has led to the halt of aid convoys coming from the Tine border crossing with Chad, which is a humanitarian corridor that was recently opened and passes through the capital of North Darfur."
The World Food Programme explained that restrictions imposed by authorities in Port Sudan in eastern Sudan prevent it from transporting aid to Darfur through the alternative viable route across the border with Chad.
It continued: "These access restrictions threaten the World Food Programme's plans to provide vital assistance to more than 700,000 people before the rainy season when many roads in Darfur become impassable."
Michael Dunford, the regional director of the World Food Programme for East Africa, stated: "The situation is dire; people are resorting to eating grass and peanut husks. If aid doesn't reach them soon, we could witness widespread famine and deaths in Darfur and other regions affected by the conflict in Sudan."
Dunford emphasized the "need for unrestricted access to aid and for security guarantees to deliver it to families struggling to survive amid devastating levels of violence."
The war in Sudan flared up between the army and the "Rapid Support Forces" in April of last year following disagreements between the two sides over plans to integrate the "Rapid Support Forces" into the armed forces, resulting in the displacement of millions both within the country and outside of it.
