Sudan - Humanitarian Air Service - World Food Programme 2009

Despite various peace agreements signed over the past few years Sudan continues to face several humanitarian crises due to conflict. The most notable is that in Darfur where continued fighting between government forces and various rebel groups has resulted in the displacement of an estimated 2.45 million people. In South Sudan need remains high as nearly 3 million people continue to return to a land bereft of even the most basic infrastructure and must now rely on the humanitarian system for food water medical care etc. In eastern Sudan up to 170 000 mostly Eritrean refugees and a similar number of internally displaced Sudanese also continue to rely on the international community for basic support. With CIDA support the World Food Programme (WFP)-managed UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) in Sudan aims to provide safe reliable efficient and cost-effective air transport for the more than 140 humanitarian agencies operating in the country. The service has operated since 2004 at the request of humanitarian agencies and donors to facilitate the movement of humanitarian workers and the delivery of assistance to those in need. This operation is to provide humanitarian air transport across Sudan using a fleet of 24 aircraft varying in size and including eighteen fixed-wing planes and six helicopters.