Governor of the Darfur Region and commander Minni Arko Minawi on Sunday discussed with a delegation of the Native Administration of Al-Malha Locality, headed by King of the All Midob Native Administration Mohamed Al-Tom, the humanitarian situation, food security and health conditions in the locality and a number of areas in the region facing difficult conditions. The meeting was attended by Humanitarian Aid Commissioner of the Darfur Regional Government Engineer Abdel-Bagi Mohamed Hamid. Minawi affirmed the regional government’s concern over living conditions in Al-Malha Locality and the affected areas, stressing the need to intensify efforts to address shortages of food, medicine and health services, particularly amid the growing number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) arriving from the city of El-Fashir to a number of localities in the region. He directed the Ministry of Health of the regional government to coordinate with the Federal Ministry of Health and UNICEF to deliver medicines and medical supplies to cities and localities across the Darfur Region and to urgently respond to the health needs of citizens and displaced people. The Governor also announced his intention to work to address the problem of the suspension of commercial vehicle movements transporting food, commodities and medicines to the region, in coordination with the Wali of Northern State and security authorities, in a manner that ensures the safety of commercial vehicles and protects traders and their goods from looting and attacks along roads leading to Darfur. For his part, Humanitarian Aid Commissioner of the Darfur Regional Government Engineer Abdel-Bagi Mohamed Hamid said the commission was working to coordinate the humanitarian response with the Federal Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP) to address the humanitarian and health crises facing a number of localities in the region. He noted that coordination was underway with the World Food Programme to dispatch food convoys to the localities of Al-Malha, Shiareya, Khazan Jadeed, Sawaqi Amra, Kutum, Om Baru, Kornoy and Al-Tina, as these areas are among those hosting large numbers of displaced people fleeing the city of El-Fasher. For his part, Deputy General Head of the Midob Administration Ali Abdullah Fadl revealed that three people had died and 36 others had been infected with kala-azar in the areas of Wadi Al-Akhdar and Om Bayada in Al-Malha Locality. He affirmed that the health and humanitarian situation in the locality required urgent intervention to prevent further deterioration. He said Al-Malha and Kutum localities, as well as the areas of Donki Baashoum and Anka and a number of other localities in the region, were facing difficult humanitarian conditions due to the irregular arrival of food and relief assistance and medicines, which had exacerbated the suffering of citizens and displaced people.  Ali Abdullah Fadl added that the acute shortage of medicines and food assistance, coupled with deteriorating living conditions, required urgent intervention by the relevant authorities and humanitarian organizations. He pointed out that the shortage of rainfall in areas north of North Darfur State had led to worsening living conditions and livestock deaths, in addition to cases of malnutrition among children and older people, underscoring the need to urgently strengthen humanitarian and health interventions.BH/BH