Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


WFP Executive Director Hopeful of 'New Day' in Sudan

Carol Van Dam

   WASHINGTON - The executive director of the United Nations' World Food
   Program has wrapped up a visit to Sudan after helicoptering into the
   volatile South Kordofan region to assess humanitarian needs.

   David Beasley told VOA's South Sudan in Focus that the trip came about
   after he recently sat down with the leaders of Sudan, the rebel
   SPLM-North and South Sudan and received commitments to allow
   humanitarian workers unfettered access to the region, a development he
   called "quite extraordinary."

   "We've seen people coming together, political enemies coming together
   from Sudan government as well as South Sudan government to allow us
   access to areas that had been denied for literally eight years,"
   Beasley said Friday.

   Last week, Beasley said, the WFP was able to send the first barge from
   Kusti, Sudan into Renk, the northernmost town in South Sudan. The barge
   arrived in Renk on Friday.

   Beasley said using a barge lets the WFP save a significant amount of
   money "and allows us to access the people that we've not been able to
   access."

   Getting to this point was not easy. Rebels in Sudan's Blue Nile and
   South Kordofan regions have battled the government for years, and
   Sudan's government blocked acccess to the areas, located in Sudan's
   Nuba Mountains, along the South Sudan border.

   However, the political climate changed this year with the overthrow of
   longtime president Omar al-Bashir and the installation of a joint
   military-civilian government.

.