Decision to reopen Sudan's vital Adre border crossing praised amid Geneva peace talks

The UAE, the US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Switzerland, the UN and the African Union issued a joint statement on Friday welcoming the decision by the Sudanese Armed Forces to reopen the Adre border crossing with Chad for three months, allowing the passage of vital humanitarian assistance to hunger-stricken areas.

The army-aligned government in February blocked aid deliveries through the crossing into territory controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The council said it was being used for the delivery of weapons, with the country gripped by conflict since April last year.

The decision was announced as talks are held in Geneva to find a route to peace in Sudan. The army-backed government has refused to attend the negotiations, which are being co-hosted by Saudi Arabia and Switzerland, with the UAE, African Union, Egypt and the UN forming a steering committee.

“The delegations in Geneva welcome the decision by the Sudanese Armed Forces to open the Adre border crossing – a critical step for saving lives and preventing the spread of famine – and we look forward to seeing the first convoys cross in the coming days," the statement read.

"We call on the RSF to take immediate steps to ensure that the aid groups entering through the Adre border are provided safety, unfettered humanitarian access and operational independence from armed and political actors."

Adre crossing

The reopening of the vital border crossing with Chad would allow humanitarian assistance to flow into the western region of Darfur, where hunger is more widespread than anywhere else in Sudan.

"We all must take immediate steps to move humanitarian assistance into Darfur and across Sudan with safe and unhindered passage to the people in need, regardless of which party controls territory," the statement said.

"The expansion of humanitarian assistance is a top priority for the members of the international community gathered in Switzerland. The facilitation of humanitarian access and civilian protection is consistent with the parties' commitments under the Jeddah declarations and obligations under international humanitarian law."

Aid agencies said thousands of tonnes of aid had been stranded in Chad, with the army's only approved crossing into the region, Al Tina, inundated by heavy rain.

Delivering aid at other approved points, including five crossings designated by the government's de facto capital in Port Sudan, takes longer and involves entering conflict areas, aid agencies said.

Sudan is experiencing the world's worst humanitarian crisis in recent memory according to the UN, as clashes continued between the army and the RSF. More than 10 million people have been displaced from their homes as the country edges closer to full-scale famine.

Escalating violence in Sudan has severely restricted humanitarian access and pushed parts of North Darfur into famine, notably Zamzam camp for displaced people, according to a report by a global food security monitor.

Areas including the camp, 12km south of El Fasher, which has a population of more than 500,000, are experiencing “the worst form of hunger”, known as Phase 5 on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, an internationally recognised standard.

The UN's World Food Programme also welcomed the news regarding the border crossing.

The opening of the Adre crossing comes at a crucial time when the only other border crossing from Chad to Darfur has been rendered unusable by heavy rains, leaving about 30 trucks carrying WFP aid unable to cross, Lenny Kisnley, WFP Sudan spokesperson said in a video conference in Geneva on Friday.

Zamzam camp, close to El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, is confronting a dire situation with famine already declared.

The war in Sudan broke out in April 2023, after weeks of tension over the role of the army and RSF descended into violence. The fighting was initially restricted to the capital Khartoum, but later spread across much of the country, with the RSF seizing large areas of territory from the army.

Both sides claim to be fighting for a democratic Sudan and vow to put the country on the right path of freedom and prosperity. However, the conflict is rooted in a 2021 coup jointly staged by army leader Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and his one-time ally Gen Mohamed Dagalo, commander of the RSF.

The coup overthrew a transitional government that took office after the ousting in 2019 of ruler Omar Al Bashir amid a popular uprising, derailing the country's transition to democratic rule and plunging it into one of its worst political and economic crisis.