Sudanese Finance Minister, Gibril Ibrahim, urged Chad to shut down the “Adré” border crossing, which has reportedly become a primary route for supporting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The minister’s call, as reported by the Sudan Tribune, comes despite the Sovereignty Council of Sudan’s prior approval on August 15 to open the crossing for three months to facilitate humanitarian aid flows to Darfur following pressures from the United Nations, Western countries, and international organizations.
However, Minister Ibrahim has called for the immediate closure of the crossing to prevent further aid to the RSF.
The United Nations reported on October 15 that since the reopening of Adré, over 200 trucks loaded with humanitarian supplies have crossed, benefiting 615,000 Sudanese, including those at risk of famine.
Adré, located in West Darfur—a region overtaken by the RSF in November 2023—is allegedly used by the Sudanese military to receive arms shipments from the UAE for the RSF.
In the meantime, the “United” group—comprising the United States, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Switzerland, the United Nations, and the African Union—last week called for keeping the Adré border open and facilitating the use of Kadugli Airport for relief flights.
More than one million Sudanese in Chad are facing numerous crises, including health challenges with the spread of diseases and epidemics in refugee camps amid a severe shortage of medical supplies, according to observers.
Chad is currently hosting tens of thousands of displaced people from Cameroon and the Central African Republic, in addition to 410,000 refugees from Sudan who moved there following the outbreak of conflict in Darfur in 2003, a conflict that has lasted two decades.
Since the outbreak of civil war in Sudan on April 2023, approximately 680,000 refugees have crossed into Chad seeking safety and food. These refugees form part of the 3 million Sudanese who have fled their country due to the conflict.
