UN relief chief calls for aid to reach civilians in Sudan's El Fasher

UNITED NATIONS, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The UN relief chief on Friday called for aid to be allowed in to civilians in El Fasher, Sudan, who are in a situation worsening by the hour.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Undersecretary-General Martin Griffiths issued the plea for protection of the civilians in the North Darfur capital suffering from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) assault on the city of 1.8 million people.

In a social media post, he expressed the hope that the resolution passed by the UN Security Council on Thursday calling for the RSF to quit the attack may help the civilians under siege. Griffiths said they must be protected, the aid must be able to reach them, and the fighting must stop now.

The World Food Programme (WFP) in Sudan underscored the urgency of getting food in before rains cut off access. The agency reports a convoy carrying aid for some 160,000 people was able to cross into Darfur this week from Chad.

It is the third convoy to enter the country via the Tine border crossing in the past two months, WFP said. That assistance is bound for Central, East and West Darfur.

The agency said food distribution was underway for more than 50,000 people in South Darfur and an estimated 200,000 in Al Jazirah State. It is the first food distribution there since the conflict spread to the state capital, Wad Medani, and other parts of Sudan's breadbasket in December. ■