On August 4, the African Union, League of Arab States and United Nations signed an agreement with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement- North to broaden humanitarian access in Sudan.

This agreement will allow humanitarian aid to the war-affected civilians in South Kordofan and Blue Nile regions. The SPLM-N agreed to a cessation of hostilities for one month which will permit aid to reach the necessary people. Additionally, the agreement states that a team will enter Blue Nile and South Kordofan within the next two weeks to assess the increasingly urgent needs of the population.

The rainy season has worsened an already difficult aid transportation route as new rains have flooded the roads which lead to the suffering civilians. The rains will likely continue for the next two and a half months while the need for aid grows each day. The United Nations agreed to airlift the critical food and supplies, but no planes are permitted into Sudan air space without government approval. While the agreement signals a hope of compromise and productive action, it puts the power entirely into the hands of the Sundanese government, the same hands which are accused of violent attacks against the people of South Kordofan and Blue Nile. Reliance upon the Sudanese government’s cooperation is considered the main weakness of the agreement. An estimated 300,000 to 400,000 people depend on the delivery of this aid. Of all the tools the government of Sudan is accused of employing to wage war against its people, the deprivation of food aid remains a powerful one. To read the full terms of the agreement see below:

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