By Olivia Le Poidevin
GENEVA, 1 May (Reuters) – The cost of sending some aid to Sudan – the world’s biggest displacement crisis – has more than doubled due to the Iran war, as disruption to shipping increases costs and delays aid delivery, the UN refugee agency said on Friday.
Increasing insecurity around key Gulf shipping lanes, including the Strait of Hormuz, as well as congestion at ports, rising fuel prices and higher insurance premiums, make aid delivery difficult, especially in Africa, the agency said.
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Aid ships that previously passed from Dubai through the Strait of Hormuz are being replaced by ships coming from Europe via the Cape of Good Hope, increasing delivery times by up to 25 days, UNHCR spokeswoman Carlotta Wolf told reporters in Geneva.
“People in dire need are getting things that are ready later than necessary,” she said.
Transportation costs to get shipments of humanitarian aid items from Dubai to Sudan and neighboring Chad have more than doubled, from $927,000 to $1.87 million, Wolf said. The UN routinely refers to the humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Sudan as the largest in the world.
(Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin)
