"15 Egyptian truck drivers dead on Sudan border, 4,000 others stuck as war freezes movement"

An Egyptian national working as a truck driver died on Monday while stranded at the crossing between Egypt and war-torn Sudan, making the 15th casualty of the kind in just 15 days as a result of harsh conditions and long waiting times at the border.

Two sources from the national syndicates for workers in land transport and in transport and communications told Mada Masr disruption to loading and unloading operations contributed to the man’s death, and that the same fate threatens 4,000 drivers who are still waiting for the government to respond to their call for support.

Since war erupted in Sudan on April 15, the humanitarian situation has deteriorated resulting in a scarcity of food and basic provisions...

Egyptian trucks have been lined up for two months, mainly waiting to deliver food and cement, on both sides of the Qastal and Arqin land crossings that link Egypt and Sudan...

Approximately 1,500 trucks are currently stalled on the Egyptian side of the 40-kilometer-long land port of Qastal, said the transport and communications union, while another 2,500 trucks are stuck at the Arqin border which has no parking, no services and no supply of water.

Eleven Egyptian drivers have died near the Sudanese border enduring overcrowding and temperatures as high as 40 degrees Celsius, while four have died in Egypt, unable to get medicines to treat chronic illnesses due to shortages of water and ice. The land transport union said that all but two bodies have been returned to Egypt in recent days...

Over the past month, many stranded drivers have recorded videos in which they call on government authorities and the president for help, and for stocks of water and ice to be sent to the crossings.

One of these calls was published by a 61-year-old driver who shared a video two weeks ago, expressing frustration about poor conditions at the Arqin crossing. The driver died on Friday...