Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group has rejected an agreement between the country’s military government and UN agencies to deliver humanitarian aid into the impoverished Darfur region.
On Thursday, Darfur governor Minni Minawi announced he had reached a deal for aid to be delivered to the western region through a new route controlled by the Sudanese army.
But the RSF, which controls majority of Darfur, said the UN agencies had not consulted it about aid deliveries.
It also accused the “extremist former regime” of attempting to smuggle arms into Darfur – an allegation to which the military government has not responded.
Top UN officials have said Sudan’s civil war is “one of the worst humanitarian nightmares in recent history” and could trigger the world’s largest hunger crisis.
Last month, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said it has only been able to deliver vital aid to 10% of those in need in areas embroiled in the conflict, like Darfur.
This struggle is down to issues such as looting, security threats and roadblocks.