Foreign Ministry Denies Preventing Delivery of Humanitarian Aid

 Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied the allegations reported by some media outlets that the Sudanese government was preventing the delivery of humanitarian assistance to some areas in Sudan.

 In a statement issued yesterday, Thursday, the Ministry renewed the commitment of the Government of Sudan to the Jeddah Declaration of Humanitarian Principles signed on May 11, 2023, and the subsequent commitments regarding humanitarian affairs, as this represents the binding legal framework to address all humanitarian aspects, including the delivery of aid to all parts of the country.

 The Ministry affirmed that the state’s policy in this regard is to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to all areas  and all citizens without any obstacles and without exception.

In this context, the government took the initiative, since the first weeks of the crisis, to call for holding an international conference for humanitarian aid to Sudan.

The conference was held in Geneva in June 2023 with broad international participation.

It also initiated preparations for the high-level international meeting in New York, October 2023, to follow up on the implementation of the pledges made at the Humanitarian Aid Conference, Geneva, June 2023.

On its part , the Foreign Ministry statement said that the terrorist militia not only evaded its obligations through the Jeddah platform regarding humanitarian issues, but also took advantage of the humanitarian truces that had been reached to occupy more necessary humanitarian and service facilities such as hospitals, food warehouses, water and electricity plants, farms and food factories and turning them into military barracks. .

This is addition to attacking humanitarian aid convoys and looting World Food Program  WFP warehouses in Gezira in December 2023, where they seized enough food for about a million and a half of those in need of aid for a month, according to the  WFP “s  estimates.

  It also continued to obstruct the movement and access of aid to many areas and needy people in the country, addition to disrupting the harvesting and cultivation of food crops in Gezira State, one of the largest agricultural production areas in Sudan, after its aggression against the state and its intimidation of civilians, especially farmers, and its looting of agricultural machinery and means of transportation.

The militia’s disruption of communications networks in the country has also hampered humanitarian operations.

At the conclusion of its statement, the Foreign Ministry demanded that the militia be obligated to implement what was reached through Jeddah platform, and to evacuate all humanitarian, service and civil facilities and citizens’ homes, and to remove its hand from humanitarian operations.