The United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in Sudan has reportedly acknowledged “that there has been a marked improvement in humanitarian access over the past six months, since Executive Order 13761 was signed on 13 January 2017, as a result of improved engagement between the Government of Sudan and humanitarian actors.” This was contained in a press release, filed on the 11th of July, 2017.
As published by APO, on behalf of the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs,”The revision of the Government of Sudan’s Directives and Procedures for Humanitarian Action in December 2016 has allowed …improvements in the scope and quality of humanitarian access.”
It was added that places that have been pretty inaccessible before have now become free work areas. According to the reports: “Recent months have seen UN agencies and partners increasingly working in areas that were previously inaccessible, to carry out needed assessments and provide humanitarian assistance.” Where “Notable areas of increased access include parts of the Jebel Marra region in Darfur, some of which had remained inaccessible to humanitarian actors for the past seven years.”
However, places like Blue Nile and South Kordofan are still challenge regions. The report revealed that UN members and men are doing everything to address the situation, to which substantial progress have recorded.
The release from the Office of the Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs stated that: “While full humanitarian access remains a challenge in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states – particularly in areas under the control of armed groups, which remain inaccessible – UN agencies and partners are now able to provide humanitarian assistance in a number of government-controlled areas which were previously blocked.”
This, according to the release “has allowed essential assistance to reach previously underserved communities, including assistance in health, food, nutrition, water, sanitation, child protection, education and mine action.”
In addition, it is mentioned on text that “In response to the declaration of famine in parts of South Sudan in February 2017, the UNCT has worked closely with the Government of Sudan to support South Sudanese refugees inside Sudan, as well as to establish and operationalise three humanitarian corridors, facilitating the delivery of essential food aid to South Sudan.”
Correspondent: Olayiwola A. Ridwan
