44-truck convoy delivering aid in Sudan after 6-week conflict delay: UN

United Nations, Oct 20 (IANS) UN humanitarians said a 44-truck convoy, which had been delayed by conflict for six weeks, is delivering aid in Sudan, a country suffering from twin crises of a deadly conflict and a cholera outbreak.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said it opened the way for the convoy to deliver supplies from the UN Refugee Agency, the World Food Programme and the Unicef to Kordofan and Darfur, reports Xinhua news agency.

The trucks got their green light to roll out on Wednesday.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported more than 1,400 suspected cases of cholera and 64 associated deaths in Sudan since the outbreak was declared late last month.

OCHA said humanitarian agencies have scaled up their response to the outbreak, coming as Sudan's healthcare system is stretched to its limits, with 70 per cent of hospitals in conflict-affected states not functional.

Facilities in states unaffected by conflict have been overwhelmed by an influx of people displaced by the fighting.

The humanitarians said UNICEF and WHO warned that at least 10,000 children under the age of 5 in Sudan could die by the end of this year due to rising food insecurity and health and nutrition services disruptions.

The WHO said in a release on Monday that urgent action was needed to preserve Sudan's health systems, especially at community and primary healthcare levels.