UN lifts flight ban

All humanitarian relief flights were due to resume throughout Sudan on Wednesday, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Tuesday. UN spokesman Manoel de Almeida e Silva said the flight suspension, imposed on 8 August, had been lifted after the Secretary-General was reassured by President Omar el-Bashir of Sudan that “all measures” were being put in place to ensure the safety of Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) relief personnel and aircraft. “The Secretary-General trusts that the Government of Sudan and other parties to the conflict will continue to fully honour their commitment to ensure the safety and security of relief workers,” the spokesman told reporters in New York. He said the warring parties must also protect “the vulnerable populations whose urgent needs UN humanitarian personnel are trying to address throughout the country”.

The suspension was put into effect 8 August after a three week government bombing campaign which focused on the southern Bahr el-Ghazal region, and prompted WFP to evacuate its staff. Both the government and the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) blame each other for breaking a humanitarian ceasefire and endangering relief operations and civilians. The government has called for a review of the humanitarian consortium Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS), and has accused non-OLS relief operations of humanitarian “violations”, including assisting rebels.