WFP food convoy reaches North Darfur after weeks of negotiation

A 42-truck World Food Programme convoy carrying nearly 1,900 tonnes of food and specialized nutrition supplies arrived in El Fasher, North Darfur, on Saturday morning — the largest delivery to the area in over a month.

The delivery follows weeks of negotiation with all parties to the conflict to secure safe passage along the main supply route. WFP said the supplies will support roughly 96,000 people for one month.

What the convoy carried

• 1,450 tonnes of cereals, pulses and oil
• 380 tonnes of specialized nutrition products for children under five
• 60 tonnes of high-energy biscuits for newly displaced families

Access remains the central challenge

Humanitarian access continues to be the single biggest constraint across Darfur. Aid agencies report that bureaucratic impediments, security incidents and road damage delay deliveries by weeks.

“This is a lifeline — but one convoy is not enough. We need sustained, unimpeded access to reach everyone who needs help.”

WFP is negotiating the dispatch of a second convoy later this month, and called on donors to urgently close a $140 million funding gap for the Sudan operation before the end of the year.

Where the operation stands

More than 25 million people across Sudan face acute food insecurity. Agencies warn the lean season will peak in September, and that without additional funding, distribution pipelines will begin to run dry in October.