Five people were killed and several others injured in a deadly attack on a United Nations food convoy en route to North Darfur’s al-Fashir, a region on the brink of famine, UN agencies reported Tuesday.
The joint statement from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) described a harrowing assault that left multiple aid trucks burned and critical humanitarian supplies destroyed. “Five members of the convoy were killed and several more people were injured. Multiple trucks were burned, and critical humanitarian supplies were damaged,” the agencies said.
The convoy, consisting of 15 trucks that had traveled over 1,800 kilometers from Port Sudan, was nearing its destination when it was attacked in the town of Al Koma — an area currently under the control of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The UN noted that the convoy’s route had been shared with all parties in advance, and it was in the midst of negotiating access when the attack occurred.
No group has claimed responsibility. Both the RSF and the Sudanese army issued statements blaming each other. The RSF alleged the attack was an airstrike carried out by the army, while the army accused the RSF of torching the vehicles. Reuters noted that it could not independently verify either version.
The UN condemned the assault as a violation of international humanitarian law and called for an immediate investigation. “Without fresh supplies soon, hundreds of thousands of people in al-Fashir are at high risk of malnutrition and starvation,” the agencies warned.
Al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur, has been the site of repeated attacks and is now largely cut off from aid due to ongoing clashes and access restrictions. The attack on the convoy follows several recent assaults on humanitarian operations, including the shelling of WFP facilities in al-Fashir and an airstrike on a hospital in El Obeid, North Kordofan, that killed several medics last month.
Sudan’s civil war, now in its second year, continues to ravage the country, with more than half the population facing hunger and millions displaced. Aid workers have increasingly found themselves in the crosshairs, hampering efforts to reach those most in need amid growing fears of famine.
Written By Rodney Mbua
