Khartoum, Dec 24 (IANS ) The Sudanese government on Tuesday sent a humanitarian aid convoy for thousands of returnees in Sinnar State in southeastern Sudan and Omdurman city, north of the Sudanese capital Khartoum.
"The Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) continues to send humanitarian aid to those affected by the conflict," Salwa Adam Benya, Sudan's humanitarian aid commissioner, told Xinhua news agency in Port Sudan on Tuesday.
"This convoy is heading to Sinnar state, where there has been a significant return of thousands of displaced individuals following the restoration of security in most of the state's cities, particularly after the liberation of Singa city, while part of the convoy will go to Omdurman, which is also witnessing voluntary return of thousands of displaced people," she said.
The convoy, which set off from Port Sudan, carried food supplies and shelter materials such as tents and blankets, the commissioner said.
More than 2,000 families returned to cities in Sinnar state, after the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) regained control of large parts of the state, according to government reports.
As of October, the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance in Sudan had reached 28.9 million, with 16.9 million requiring life-saving support, according to the HAC.
On November 23, the SAF recaptured Singa, the capital city of Sinnar State, which was controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for months after a conflict broke out between the SAF and the RSF in mid-April 2023.
"Singa city has returned to the homeland ... The moment of justice and accountability shall come, and all those complicit in these crimes. The criminals will be held accountable for their actions," Khalid Aleisir, the Sudanese minister of culture and information, said in a statement on November 23.
Sudan has been gripped by a devastating conflict between the SAF and the RSF since mid-April 2023. According to the most recent update by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, the deadly conflict has resulted in more than 28,700 deaths and displaced over 14 million people, either inside or outside Sudan.
Courtesy Media Group: IANS