Women and their children have fled to Renk County of Upper Nile State, South Sudan [File: Jok Solomun/Reuters]

The Sudanese Ambassador to South Sudan has announced that his government has opened humanitarian corridors to facilitate relief efforts and deliver aid to millions of civilians in need nationwide.

Ambassador Isam Karrar, who made the remarks during a press conference in Juba on Tuesday, November 5, stated that this is as long as it is done without any hidden agenda that serves interests contrary to Sudan’s sovereignty.

The Sudanese diplomat said his government has approved about 100 movement permits to the United Nations agencies and international NGOs providing aid to the displaced population

Ambassador Karrar says this enabled UN agencies to provide thousands of tons of food supplies and life-saving medicines to the people.

“Sudan is completely open to providing humanitarian assistance to all displaced persons and refugees in Sudan. Also approved about 100 movement permits have been issued to UN agencies such as the World Food Program, the High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Organization for Migration, and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs,” Amb. Karrar said.

“All of this indicates Sudan’s openness and is in line with the main priority of the Sudanese government to facilitate humanitarian work for all parties committed to humanitarian work only without implementing an agenda for that,” he stated.

“The UN agencies have provided thousands of tons of food supplies and thousands of tons of life-saving medicines and children’s medicines to several states in Sudan,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Ambassador highlighted the change of President Salva Kiir as the chairman of an IGAD committee to steer the peace process that caused the stalemate.

“Sudan remains with its people and the government welcomes all the initiatives that aim to achieve peace without presenting a hidden agenda that can serve interests which always oppose the sovereign of Sudan,” Amb. Isam made the remarks during a press conference in Juba on Tuesday.

“Sudan agreed since the beginning of the war to sit and start Jeddah talks in Saudi Arabia, and all the decisions that came as a result of those talks,” he stated.

“Sudan also agreed on the IGAD initiatives to solve the Sudanese crisis and when we started entering the primary talks,” he said.

“IGAD changed the chairman who was the president of the republic of South Sudan His Excellency Salva Kiir Mayardit, who was commissioned in the beginning in the Sudanese crisis file, the IGAD changed him with the president of Kenya and Sudan and its people refused this step,” he said.

According to the UN, at least 20,000 people have been killed, but the death toll is likely to be much higher due to the ongoing fighting and the collapse of the health system.

The war has also prompted the world’s largest displacement crisis, with more than 11 million people displaced to refugee camps and neighbouring countries.

The UN also said in early October that famine and the outbreak of diseases like cholera have further exacerbated an already desperate situation.