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United Nations (UN) aid office pushes for ‘unhindered’ humanitarian access in Sudan
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In recent days the Emergency Relief Coordinator has travelled to various parts of the war-torn country and met leaders, frontline responders and survivors of the crisis.
“We need more UN boots on the ground,” Mr. Fletcher said. “The UN is a ship that was not built to stay in the harbour, and this visit has been part of that big push to make sure we're mobilised closer to those we serve.”
Progress on negotiations
Mr. Fletcher said he had a “useful” meeting with General Burhan, leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), focused on getting “unlimited” and “unhindered” humanitarian access.
He also met representatives from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia in what was a “tough” discussion, where he set out “unequivocally” that the UN will be expecting protection for civilians and insisting on accountability and safe passages for civilians and aid convoys.
“We have, I think, a pretty strong agreement from the authorities [of the military government] in Port Sudan and the RSF on full access and safe passage for our convoys to go in and for civilians to get out,” Mr. Fletcher said. “Now let's see what happens next.”
‘Crime scene' in El Fasher
The UN also made progress on getting teams into El Fasher, in Darfur, on the organization's terms, Mr. Fletcher added.
“We're not going to be instrumentalised,” he emphasized. “This is a potential crime scene, and we've got to make sure we've got the right people going in, and that the aid is genuinely neutral and impartial.”
El Fasher was captured by the RSF last month after more than 500 days of siege, leading to the displacement of some 90,000 people since the end of October.
When asked about the number of deaths in El Fasher, Mr. Fletcher said there is no credible answer on how many have been killed so far.
There are hundreds of thousands of people in Tawila, but “many people clearly aren't getting out of El Fasher,” he said.
“One of the things we want to do when we go in is to find out why that is and to see what the conditions are, in which they are being held there.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN News.Withdrawing of Infrastructure Grant a Setback for the Eastern Cape Education Department, Committee Chair
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The Select Committee on Education, Sciences and the Creative Industries has called on the Eastern Cape Department of Education to respond to the shocking news of half-a-billion-rands infrastructure grant being withheld by the National Treasury.
The Chairperson of the committee, Mr Makhi Feni, said the news was a setback for the province, and the timing is bad because it happens when the Eastern Cape delegation of the permanent delegates to the National Council of Provinces is to be troubled by this news.
“The Eastern Cape Provincial Department of Education needs to explain this challenge as it is the most affected by infrastructure needs. This is the time for honesty and reflection. The Eastern Cape is the last province to lose this amount of money sadly for the reasons that the National Treasury has alluded to,” said Mr Feni.
The committee visited schools in the Amathole West District and in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, in Gqeberha last month where serious infrastructure challenges were identified. The sad situation of the infrastructure needs was no better pronounced than at Greenville Primary in Bethelsdorp, in Gqeberha.
Mr Feni said what the National Treasury is saying has revealed the reasons behind a situation where 100% of the infrastructure budget would be spent in the second quarter, when in fact a mere 10% of performance had been achieved.
“The department should motivate to Treasury for the money to be released and not hide their heads into the sand. If help is required, they should indicate as such so that the national Department of Basic Education takes care of the provincial affairs. The province did not need this news, and the timing is bad.”
The committee will demand accountability and will hold the Eastern Cape Department of Education to the highest standard of accountability particularly around the issues of infrastructure.
The Eastern Cape's permanent delegates to the NCOP will from tomorrow be in the OR Tambo District on the Provincial Week Programme to, among other things, assess service delivery in the municipalities in the district.
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