Today's top news: Sudan, Syria

Last week FAO delivered sorghum seeds to Kosti to support smallholder farmers in White Nile State, Sudan. FAO

Sudan

Between 22 May and 7 July, we facilitated the movement of more than 630 trucks carrying over 28,500 tons of aid to 10 states.

Meanwhile, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is working to increase local food production and availability. FAO is distributing seeds in time for the planting season, with donor support. Trucks carrying some 50 tons of sorghum seeds arrived in Blue Nile State yesterday, with additional shipments dispatched to other locations.

As the fighting in Sudan continues, thousands of people are crossing into Chad each day from the Darfur region. The World Food Programme (WFP) is rapidly scaling up its response at the border to support the new arrivals, many of whom are injured.

So far, WFP has delivered food and nutrition assistance to more than 150,000 people on the Chad-Sudan border.

It is also essential that WFP can safely deliver food aid to civilians remaining in West Darfur. So far, the agency has been able to provide food and nutrition support to more than 420,000 people in East, North, South and Central Darfur – but the current security situation in West Darfur makes safe operations there impossible.

Syria

The cross-border resolution having expired on 10 July, cross-border aid deliveries will continue through the Bab Al-Salam and Al-Ra’ee crossings. These two crossings were opened with the consent of the Government of Syria following the February earthquakes and have been extended until 13 August.

The UN continues to advocate for expanding all avenues to deliver humanitarian assistance to millions of people in need in north-west Syria. The renewal of the authorization is essential, as Bab al-Hawa remains the centre of gravity for the UN’s cross-border response, including being in close proximity to Idleb, where most of the people in need in north-west Syria live.

UN agencies have pre-positioned supplies on the ground in north-west Syria to ensure that humanitarian needs will continue to be met.

Over 85 per cent of our trucks reach north-west Syria via the Bab al-Hawa crossing authorized by the Security Council.

The latest cross-line convoy on 23 and 24 June is evidence that the UN continues to engage all sides to proceed with these operations, despite persistent challenges.