Sudanese relief workers get more protection, better access

The United Nations Operation Lifeline Sudan relief program signed separate agreements with the Sudanese government and the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement to enhance the safety of relief personnel and assure greater access to those in need of help, UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said yesterday.

He added that through Operation Lifeline Sudan, the UN World Food Program, working primarily in southern Sudan, is delivering 17,000 tons of food benefiting 1.5 million people each month.

One of the two agreements deals with security for UN and non-governmental workers in the program, while the other maps out minimal standards for the use of trains and roads in delivering aid, Eckhard said.