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- Iran-backed Houthi attacks on ships in response to Israel's fight against Hamas are affecting aid deliveries to Africa.
- The International Rescue Committee has taken a longer and more expensive route to Sudan.
- Shipping companies warn that the disturbances in the Red Sea could last up to the end of the year.
The peril commercial ships face in the Red Sea is now compromising the
delivery of medical supplies to war-ravaged Sudan, leaving humanitarian
organisations worried about their ability to deliver aid.
Since November, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have attacked ships in solidarity, they say, with Hamas' war against Israel.
Instability in that region is now colliding with the brutal civil war in Sudan, which is geographically removed from the Middle Eastern hotspots, but no longer easily accessible by sea.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) this week said it had "made the difficult decision to suspend operations to Port Sudan through the Red Sea route".
Now, it has to find the money to use alternative routes.
Eatizaz Yousif, the country director of the IRC in Sudan, said:
If more aid agencies were to take this approach, it would make for much longer delivery times and administrative complexity too, on top of the expense, all of which could be avoided by simply shipping directly to Port Sudan.
READ | US carries out more 'self-defence strikes' on Houthi missiles in Red Sea
"The alternative routes involve longer transportation distances, leading to increased transit times consequently causing delays in delivering critical aid to those in need, making our operations both challenging and expensive," Yousif said.
Blood transfusion bags, anaesthesia, gauze, solutions, and suture threads are among the medical supplies that are in short supply in Sudan's conflict zones.
The war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is now in its 11th month, and civilians have been heavily hit. Both the SAF and RSF accuse each other of attacking civilian populations, and both have been accused of gross violations of human rights and breaches of international law.
Shipping companies warn that the Red Sea crisis could continue until the end of the year, if not beyond.
The News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained herein do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
