UN accuses Sudan Paramilitaries of blocking Darfur aid

The United Nations (UN) on Monday accused Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces of blocking aid to the war-torn country's famine-threatened Darfur region.

The RSF, which has been at war with the regular army since April 2023, controls nearly all of Darfur, a western region the size of France.

Since May, it has besieged North Darfur's El-Fasher and attacked displacement camps nearby.

"The persistent restrictions and bureaucratic hurdles" imposed by the RSF's humanitarian agency "are preventing life-saving assistance from reaching those in desperate need," said Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sudan.

"The world is watching, and it is unacceptable that the humanitarian community in Sudan... is unable to deliver essential aid," she said in a statement.

Famine has been declared in five areas of North Darfur and is expected to spread to five more by May, according to the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).

Nearly seven million people in Darfur are facing crisis levels of hunger, IPC figures show.

The UN on Monday urged simplified bureaucratic procedures and an end to undue interference, "including demands for logistical support or mandatory engagement with selected vendors."

Since the war began, humanitarian workers have reported obstruction by both sides, looting of aid and threats against relief staff.

The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, uprooted 12 million and created the world's largest hunger and displacement crises.

Nearly 25 million people are facing dire food insecurity across Sudan, according to the UN.