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Egypt Calls on 'Sudan’s Neighbors' to Take 'Immediate' Measures to Solve Crisis

Meeting of the Ministerial Mechanism of Sudan’s Neighboring Countries (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Meeting of the Ministerial Mechanism of Sudan’s Neighboring Countries (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
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Egypt Calls on 'Sudan’s Neighbors' to Take 'Immediate' Measures to Solve Crisis

Meeting of the Ministerial Mechanism of Sudan’s Neighboring Countries (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Meeting of the Ministerial Mechanism of Sudan’s Neighboring Countries (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry called on Sudan’s neighboring countries to put forward “immediate measures” to respond to the “crippling humanitarian crisis” in Sudan.

During the first meeting of the ministerial mechanism of Sudan’s neighboring countries, which was held on Monday in N'Djamena, Shoukry briefed the participants on the situation in the country, pointing to the “complete ambiguity in the course of the political process.”

He also stressed “the importance of concerted efforts to convince the two parties to the conflict of the need for an immediate end to the fighting.”

The Sudan’s Neighboring Countries Summit was held last month in Cairo, to discuss a solution to the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The summit was attended by the leaders of Ethiopia, Chad, Central Africa, Eritrea, Libya and South Sudan, in addition to the Chairman of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki, and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

The participants agreed to form a mechanism at the level of foreign ministers, to meet for the first time in Chad.

In a speech during Monday’s meeting, Shoukry stressed that the initiative of Sudan’s neighboring states was evidence of the “serious political will to help the country overcome its crisis and put an end to the devastating war.”

The Egyptian diplomat underlined the need to strengthen the resilience of the displaced communities in neighboring states, calling at the same time the donor community to support the capabilities of host countries to provide the required rapid response to the Sudanese people.

According to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, the foreign ministers of Sudan’s neighboring countries discussed the Sudanese crisis, with all its security, political and humanitarian dimensions, its effects on the people and its regional and international repercussions, with the aim to put forward practical proposals to reach solutions that would put an end to the crisis, and preserve the unity and territorial integrity of Sudan.

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UN Food Agency Says Its Food Stocks in Gaza Have Run out under Israel’s Blockade

A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
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UN Food Agency Says Its Food Stocks in Gaza Have Run out under Israel’s Blockade

A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)

The World Food Program says its food stocks in the Gaza Strip have run out under Israel’s nearly 8-week-old blockade, ending a main source of sustenance for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the territory.

The WFP said in a statement that it delivered the last of its stocks to charity kitchens that it supports around Gaza. It said those kitchens are expected to run out of food in the coming days.

Some 80% of Gaza’s population of more than 2 million relies primarily on charity kitchens for food, because other sources have shut down under Israel’s blockade, according to the UN. The WFP has been supporting 47 kitchens that distribute 644,000 hot meals a day, WFP spokesperson Abeer Etefa told the Associated Press.

It was not immediately clear how many kitchens would still be operating in Gaza if those shut down. But Etefa said the WFP-backed kitchens are the major ones in Gaza.

Israel cut off entry of all food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza on March 2 and then resumed its bombardment and ground offensives two weeks later, shattering a two-month ceasefire with Hamas. It says the moves aim to pressure Hamas to release hostages it still holds. Rights groups have called the blockade a “starvation tactic” and a potential war crime.

Israel has said Gaza has enough supplies after a surge of aid entered during the ceasefire and accuses Hamas of diverting aid for its purposes. Humanitarian workers deny there is significant diversion, saying the UN strictly monitors distribution. They say the aid flow during the ceasefire was barely enough to cover the immense needs from throughout the war when only a trickle of supplies got in.

With no new goods entering Gaza, many foods have disappeared from markets, including meat, eggs, fruits, dairy products and many vegetables. Prices for what remains have risen dramatically, becoming unaffordable for much of the population. Most families rely heavily on canned goods.

Malnutrition is already surging. The UN said it identified 3,700 children suffering from acute malnutrition in March, up 80% from the month before. At the same time, because of diminishing supplies, aid groups were only able to provide nutritional supplements to some 22,000 children in March, down 70% from February. The supplements are a crucial tool for averting malnutrition.

Almost all bakeries shut down weeks ago and the WFP stopped distribution of food basics to families for lack of supplies. With stocks of most ingredients depleted, charity kitchens generally can only serve meals of pasta or rice with little added.

World Central Kitchen -- a US charity that is one of the biggest in Gaza that doesn’t rely on the WFP -- said Thursday that its kitchens had run out of proteins. Instead, they make stews from canned vegetables. Because fuel is scarce, it dismantles wooden shipping pallets to burn in its stoves, it said. It also runs the only bakery still functioning in Gaza, producing 87,000 loaves of pita a day.

The WFP said 116,000 tons of food is ready to be brought into Gaza if Israel opens the borders, enough to feed 1 million people for four months.

Israel has leveled much of Gaza with its air and ground campaign, vowing to destroy Hamas after its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. It has killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, whose count does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

In the Oct. 7 attack, gunmen killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251. They still hold 59 hostages after most were released in ceasefire deals.