WEST DARFUR — Explosions struck the Ardamata bridge in Sudan's West Darfur state overnight. This event affects humanitarian access and increases risks to civilians as the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces continue their armed conflict, which began in April 2023.
The Ardamata bridge connects the city of El Geneina to areas near the Chad border. It serves as a route for commercial traffic and humanitarian supplies entering the Darfur region. Farhan Haq, U.N. Deputy Spokesperson, said that humanitarian partners warn there will be no viable alternative routes once seasonal rains intensify.
More than 30 million people in Sudan require humanitarian assistance. Attacks on bridges, roads, and civilian infrastructure are disrupting humanitarian access. The conflict has caused tens of thousands of fatalities and displaced nearly 13 million people. The U.N. called for all parties to the conflict to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure and to facilitate humanitarian access.
In another development, humanitarian movements on the Geneina–Zalingei road resumed on Monday following a brief suspension. Nearly 70 people were killed in drone strikes in West and North Kordofan states within one week. Between January and April, at least 880 civilians died in drone strikes nationwide.
Armed conflict has intensified in Kordofan and Blue Nile states since the Rapid Support Forces captured el-Fasher in October. More than 300,000 people have been displaced from front-line areas since that time. Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Martha Pobee said that the direct impact of the conflict on Chad cannot be overemphasized.
Nearly one million Sudanese refugees and 300,000 Chadian returnees have relocated to Chad. Refugee arrivals have increased demand on health systems and services in the country. The World Health Organization is coordinating with local authorities to strengthen emergency medical response and support health workers in Chad. Pobee added that repeated cross-border incursions and drone strikes on Chadian military positions risk a further regionalization of the conflict. She called on all partners to increase their efforts to resolve the conflict in Sudan and to help Chad in dealing with the impact of the crisis.
No independent assessment was available for this report.