Adré, July 29 (Darfur24)
Traffic through the Adré border crossing between Chad and Sudan resumed on Wednesday after a one-day closure, following the release by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of two Chadian nationals detained during a security operation in the Adékonk area, according to sources who spoke to Darfur24.
The sources said Chadian authorities reopened the crossing after taking custody of the two men, who were released late on Tuesday. The reopening allowed commercial trucks, humanitarian aid convoys, and travellers to resume crossing in both directions.
According to the sources, Chad had made the release of the detainees a condition for reopening the border crossing.
On Tuesday, Chadian authorities shut the crossing in protest after the RSF detained the two Chadian citizens during what it described as a security campaign to combat “negative phenomena” and tighten controls along the border.
Sources told Darfur24 that the operation included stricter inspections at border entry and exit points. They said the two men were arrested after RSF personnel allegedly found photographs of the group’s military positions on their mobile phones.
The sources added that Chadian citizens gathered near the Adré crossing following the arrests, blocking commercial truck traffic and demanding the detainees’ release, prompting the temporary closure of the crossing.
The Adré crossing, which links Chad with Sudan’s West Darfur State, is a vital humanitarian corridor. The United Nations describes it as the most direct and effective route for delivering food, medicines, and other life-saving supplies to millions of people in Darfur and Kordofan.
The crossing has been closed and reopened several times since the outbreak of the war in Sudan in April 2023. According to the United Nations, hundreds of humanitarian aid trucks have passed through Adré, delivering assistance to more than 1.3 million people.