UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths arrived in Sudan by sea in Port Sudan on Wednesday 3rd May.
Following the theft by militias of 17,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid, a UN official called on both sides of the conflict to establish a safe passage for humanitarian aid.
The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator reacted to those who said the UN has not made any efforts, noting that its teams were finding it difficult to carry out their humanitarian missions in Sudan because the militias are ruling the roost. Recent days have seen six World Food Program (WFP) trucks looted on the road.
He said the thieves were either militia, criminals, or sometimes soldiers, who take off their uniforms when they are not in combat and target humanitarian convoys.
It should be noted that the 17,000 tonnes of goods transported by the UN represent a quarter of its reserves.
The situation is not new, robberies have been frequent in Sudan for two years, but it is becoming more shocking in the current context marked by soaring prices and violence in the country.
In the face of this worsening situation, 100,000 refugees have been able to cross Sudan’s borders and the UN estimates that the number could rise to 800,000.