KHARTOUM, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Monday said that various challenges were affecting the delivery of humanitarian assistance in many parts of Sudan.

       "Various challenges - insecurity, looting, bureaucratic impediments, poor network and phone connectivity, lack of cash, and limited technical and humanitarian staff on the ground - have been affecting the delivery of humanitarian assistance in many parts of the country," the OCHA said in its latest statement.

       "Fuel shortages also affect the movement of humanitarian staff and supplies and the generation of power needed for operations, including maintaining cold chain storage and water supply," it added.

       Despite all these challenges, humanitarian partners continue to provide life-saving assistance to the vulnerable people they can reach, the OCHA said, while at the same time noting that the revised 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan for Sudan is only 40.8 percent funded as of Jan. 4.

       Sudan has been witnessing deadly clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 15, 2023. More than 12,000 people had been killed in the fighting, according to a statement by the OCHA in December last year.