Sudan’s government said on Wednesday it had extended the opening of the Adre border crossing with Chad for three months to allow humanitarian aid to enter the country.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the crossing will remain open to humanitarian convoys operated by international relief organisations from January 1 through March 31, 2026.

The extension underscores Sudan’s commitment to ensuring humanitarian assistance reaches people in need across the country, the ministry said.

The decision also signals goodwill aimed at facilitating humanitarian operations and coordinating with relief organisations working in Sudan in line with international humanitarian law and national regulations, the ministry added.

Alleged weapon smuggling

It called on friendly and partner countries, as well as humanitarian organisations, to accelerate the delivery of urgently needed assistance to civilians.

The government barred all shipments through the Adre crossing on July 25, 2024, citing alleged use of the route to smuggle weapons to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), an accusation the group did not publicly address at the time.

Sudan reopened the crossing on August 15, 2024, for three months to allow humanitarian aid for people affected by the war, responding to a request from the United Nations. That decision was later extended through December 31, 2025.

The United Nations has warned of worsening famine conditions in Sudan’s western Darfur region, home to large numbers of displaced people, particularly in the city of Al Fasher.

Devastating war

Of Sudan’s 18 states, the RSF controls all five states of the Darfur region in the west, except for some northern parts of North Darfur that remain under army control.

The army, in turn, holds most areas of the remaining 13 states in the south, north, east, and centre, including the capital Khartoum.

The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has since killed thousands of people and displaced millions of others.