Sudan yet to decide whether to keep aid crossing open as deadline looms

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) — No decision has been made yet on whether Sudan will keep open the Adre cross-border corridor as a three-month period to facilitate the passage of humanitarian aid nears an end, the Sudan mission to the UN in Geneva said Thursday.

Hassan Hamid Hassan, Sudan’s permanent representative, reiterated the government's concerns that the corridor was being misused to "transport weapons" by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group — which initially led to the crossing's closure in February.

Although the UAE and RSF rejected the claims earlier this year, UN experts have said they were credible.

"During these three months, we were monitoring closely all the activities of humanitarian convoys through the corridor, and we got the necessary proof that the corridor is still under abuse, is still being used for other purposes than humanitarian aid," Hassan said in a news briefing with the Association of Accredited Correspondents to the UN (ACANU)..

He said in response to a question by Anadolu that a final decision on Adre’s status would be announced by Nov. 15 — the day that three-month decision ends — and added that "we are still doing assessment ... trying to balance what to do and what not to do,” referring to the difficulty of weighing aid access needs against security risks.

"The imminent threat of the utilization of this corridor for the supplement of the militia is there, but at the same time, the good reasons (humanitarian aid) behind the resumption of this corridor, once again, is still there," he said. "Because we don't want to stand against the delivery of immediate humanitarian needs, life-saving needs to our people."

Hassan also suggested that logistical costs make Adre a less viable option compared to other available routes. “From a logistical point of view, Adre is a very expensive one,” he said, noting that eight alternative corridors were open, including a cost-effective river route from South Sudan and a shorter land route from Chad.

He stressed that the Sudanese government was committed to facilitating aid delivery but pointed to funding shortages and the ongoing militia presence as the major obstacles rather than access.

"Challenge number one is the funding, and the challenge number two is the issue of cross-line access," he said, explaining that unchecked militia checkpoints across Sudan complicate safe passage for humanitarian convoys.

Despite the concerns, Hassan stated that Sudan’s government was open to dialogue.

"We remain open, ready to consider any options that can lead to an end to this ongoing war, because this is our country, which is now subject to such destruction on a daily basis," he added.

Since mid-April 2023, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF have been engaged in a conflict that has resulted in more than 20,000 deaths and displaced nearly 10 million people, according to the UN.

There have been growing calls from the UN and international bodies to end the conflict, as the war has pushed millions of Sudanese to the brink of famine and death due to food shortages, with the fighting spreading to 13 of Sudan's 18 states.