Qatar plane carrying 14 tons of aid lands in Port Sudan airport

A Qatari plane carrying 14 tons of aid arrived in Sudan earlier this week amid continued fighting between rival military factions and a worsening humanitarian crisis.

"A Qatari plane carrying 14 tons of food and medical supplies, provided by the Qatar Fund For Development and the Qatar Red Crescent Society, has arrived in the sisterly Republic of Sudan," the state-run Qatar News Agency (QNA) said Thursday.

This brings the total amount of Qatari aid sent to Sudan to 371 tons, QNA added.

The plane carrying aid arrived at the Port Sudan airport on the country’s Red Sea coast, as the capital Khartoum remains a no-fly zone with its damaged airport shut.

وصول طائرة قطرية تحمل مواد غذائية وطبية إلى السودان#الخارجية_القطرية pic.twitter.com/xbvcLammnq

— الخارجية القطرية (@MofaQatar_AR) August 2, 2023

On Monday, the Sudanese Civil Aviation Authority said that the closure of civilian airspace will be extended until 15 August, exempting flights for humanitarian and evacuation purposes.

Since conflict erupted in mid-April between the Sudanese army and paramilitary forces, some aid deliveries have reportedly failed to be disbursed or reach their destinations.

Early last month, the International Organisation for Migration estimated that 3 million people had been displaced by the fighting and more than 700,000 had fled to neighbouring countries such as Egypt and Chad.

Many remain trapped in Sudan as their entry to neighbouring countries has been severely restricted or they lack the financial means to leave.

At least 3,000 civilians have died, according to some estimates.

The army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, have traded blame for civilian casualties.

Most of the fighting has been concentrated in and around Khartoum with deadly tribal and ethnic clashes in West Darfur.