عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Egypt to Address Truck Congestion on Sudanese Borders

Waiting areas for trucks on the border between Sudan and Egypt. (Egyptian Ministry of Transport)
Waiting areas for trucks on the border between Sudan and Egypt. (Egyptian Ministry of Transport)
TT
20
TT

Egypt to Address Truck Congestion on Sudanese Borders

Waiting areas for trucks on the border between Sudan and Egypt. (Egyptian Ministry of Transport)
Waiting areas for trucks on the border between Sudan and Egypt. (Egyptian Ministry of Transport)

The Egyptian government continues to exert efforts to address the issue of truck congestion on the Sudanese borders.

The Transport Ministry said on Thursday that the “slow” completion of procedures at corresponding Sudanese crossings leads to the congestion at the Arqin and Qustul land crossings.

The overcrowding is also caused by the mismatch in working hours, it added.

Trade between Egypt and Sudan has seen growth over the last year, reaching $1.5 billion compared to around $900 million in 2021, according to official figures.

In May, clashes broke out between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces in Khartoum. Stranded Egyptian drivers called on the Egyptian officials to facilitate their return to their home country.

Egyptian ports (Arqin – Qustul) are equipped with state-of-the-art detection devices, including X-RAY machines, streamlining procedures and reducing clearance time within Egyptian ports, the ministry added on Thursday.

A committee led by the presidential advisor for the southern and remote areas Major General Ahmed Gamal Eddin, Aswan Governor Ashraf Attiya, head of the General Authority for Ports and Dry Land General Amr Ismail, and representatives of all the concerned Egyptian authorities checked Arqin al-Bari port on the Egyptian-Sudanese border to follow up the state efforts.

They also visited the neutral area between the Egyptian port and the Sudanese port.

Two mini-logistics zones were implemented in Wadi Karkar and the city of Abu Simbel to process Egyptian vehicles heading to Sudan, said the ministry.

Contact points have been identified between the logistic zones and the officials of the Qustul and Arqin ports. This coordination ensures the proper routing of vehicles and restricts any unauthorized movement.

Ongoing logistic support is being provided to the drivers round the clock in the region between Karkar, Abu Simbel, Arqin, and Qustul. This initiative is in partnership with the Egyptian Red Crescent and Aswan Governorate.

The ministry added that instructions have been issued allowing Egyptian vehicles to stay overnight inside the Qustul and Arqin ports if they've completed their procedures and there's no waiting area available in the neutral zone.

The Egyptian Minister of Transport, Engineer Kamel Al-Wazir, has communicated with his Sudanese counterpart to expedite the entrance and exit of trucks between Egypt and Sudan.

Most Viewed

 
Arab World

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)
TT
20
TT

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.