UN says Iran war doubles Sudan aid costs and delays deliveries
The cost of delivering humanitarian aid to Sudan has surged as disruption linked to the Iran war forces longer shipping routes and delays critical supplies, the Unhcr says.
The agency warned that instability along key Gulf corridors, including the Strait of Hormuz, alongside port congestion, rising fuel prices and higher insurance premiums, has sharply increased transport costs and slowed deliveries.
Aid shipments that once travelled from Dubai through the Gulf now often reroute from Europe via the Cape of Good Hope, adding as much as 25 days to journey times, Unhcr spokesperson Carlotta Wolf told reporters in Geneva.
"People in dire need are receiving things that are ready later than what's needed," she said.
Transport costs for moving relief supplies from Dubai to Sudan and neighbouring Chad have more than doubled, rising from $927,000 to $1.87 million, Wolf added.
The United Nations describes Sudan’s conflict-driven emergency as the world’s largest displacement crisis, with millions relying on aid that now faces mounting delays and escalating costs.