Sudan’s military announced Thursday it would reopen a major border crossing with Chad whose closure had become a major obstacle to increasingly urgent efforts to reach millions of starving people in Sudan.

Until just a few days ago, the military was insisting it had to keep the border closed at Adré, in eastern Chad, to prevent weapons being smuggled to the Rapid Support Forces, the powerful paramilitary group it has been fighting in Sudan’s vicious civil war since April 2023.

But the six-month closure throttled the flow of U.N. trucks carrying vital relief aid at a time when Sudan is plunging into a famine that experts warn could be the world’s worst in decades.

In an unexpected reversal, Sudan’s military-dominated Sovereign Council announced Thursday that it would immediately reopen the Adré crossing for three months. U.N. and aid groups, caught unaware, welcomed the decision, with one U.N. official saying it could make a “significant difference” to relief efforts. But those providing aid were also seeking clarification from the Sudanese authorities about any potential restrictions.

The sudden decision followed weeks of growing international criticism of Sudan’s military for the border closure. It also coincided with the start of an American-led effort to revive peace talks in Switzerland aimed at halting the civil war ripping apart one of Africa’s biggest countries.