UN humanitarian chief arrives in Sudan, calls for safe delivery of aid

PORT SUDAN, Sudan — The United Nations' humanitarian chief arrived in Sudan's main seaport on Wednesday, as thousands of Sudanese and foreign nationals gathered there in hopes of fleeing the conflict-torn eastern African country.

Martin Griffiths, under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator at the UN, tweeted that his visit to the city of Port Sudan is to affirm the body's commitment to the Sudanese people.

He said on Wednesday that he was seeking assurances from Sudan's warring factions over the safe delivery of aid after six trucks of humanitarian supplies were looted and airstrikes continued in the capital Khartoum.

His arrival comes one day after neighboring South Sudan announced that the warring sides had agreed "in principle" to a seven-day cease-fire.

It also comes amid increasing concerns about the humanitarian situation for those trapped and displaced by the fighting, which is the result of a power struggle between the country's two top generals. But questions remain over how UN agencies can operate with limited staff and supplies.

More than a week after the brutal violence broke out in Khartoum on April 15, thousands of UN workers evacuated the city via a land convoy to Port Sudan.

Some UN offices suspended their services, such as the World Food Programme, after two of its workers were killed in the fighting in the south of Sudan. The WFP has since said it will resume operations.

The battle for control of Sudan erupted after months of escalating tensions between the military led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and rival paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

The conflict has so far killed 550 people, including civilians, and wounded more than 4,900. The fighting has displaced at least 334,000 people inside Sudan, and sent tens of thousands more to neighboring countries Egypt, Chad, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Ethiopia, according to UN agencies.

More than 42,000 Sudanese who fled their country have crossed into Egypt along with 2,300 foreign nationals since the crisis began, according to the UN refugee agency.

Aid workers are increasingly concerned about lack of basic services in these areas, and also in Port Sudan, which is located on the Red Sea some 400 kilometers from the capital.

Agencies via Xinhua