Sudan: UN officials to press for unrestricted access for delivery of humanitarian aid

Two senior United Nations officials will travel to the Sudan later this week to push for unrestricted access to millions in need of humanitarian aid, a United Nations spokesman said today.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Envoy for Humanitarian Affairs in the Sudan, Tom Eric Vraalsen, and Kenzo Oshima, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, are scheduled to leave for the Sudan on Saturday.

During their weeklong mission, the officials will visit both government- and rebel-held areas and press for unconditional humanitarian access to the millions in need of help in the war-torn country, the spokesman said.

According to the UN World Food Programme, some 2.9 million people are targeted to receive food aid in the Sudan, which has been hit by a major drought.