An aerial view of makeshift shelters of Sudanese who fled the conflict in the Darfur region, in Adre, Chad, on July 20, 2023. — Reuters File

More and faster aid deliveries are urgently required in Sudan, according to the US special envoy to the war-torn nation, who spoke to Reuters. Ideally, this should be achieved through the establishment of humanitarian corridors and pauses, as discussed with government leaders during a visit on Sunday. "We are pleased that there has been some progress, but we need to see much more," Tom Perriello said in an interview, following the approval of flights to hunger-stricken South Kordofan and the extension of permission to use the Adre border crossing into Darfur by the Sudanese army.

The army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been engaged in a 19-month conflict that has led to severe hunger and disease across the country. Both sides are accused of hindering aid deliveries, with the RSF accused of looting and the army of bureaucratic delays. Proposals including humanitarian corridors and pauses were presented to Sudanese sovereign council head Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and others during a trip to Port Sudan on Monday, and progress was noted, according to Perriello.

In October, the sovereign council approved flights into Kadugli to provide assistance to rebel-held regions of South Kordofan state, where people have suffered without aid deliveries, through an agreement with the South Sudanese government. "I think if we can see that same attitude on the ability to get corridors into places like Khartoum, Omdurman, ElGezira, Al Fashir, Sennar I think we could get a lot of life-saving aid to some of the most desperate Sudanese," he said.

However, in a speech on Tuesday, Burhan expressed skepticism about the pace of progress. "Our vision is clear to all those who want to help us. The war must stop first and the rebels must leave the areas they have occupied," he said. "Once civilian life is back, relief can return and be available to all Sudanese," he added.

US-led efforts to bring the army and RSF to the negotiating table have not yet succeeded. "We do remain in active lines of communication with RSF leadership on the negotiations around both humanitarian access and peace," Perriello said.

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