Aid Convoy Attacked in Sudan’s Darfur as Hunger Crisis Deepens

An aid convoy belonging to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) was attacked on Wednesday near Mellit town in North Darfur, Sudan. The convoy was transporting life-saving food to vulnerable communities in Alsayah village, an area hit hard by famine.

According to WFP spokesperson Gift Watanasathorn, 16 trucks were part of the convoy, and three were damaged and caught fire during the attack. Fortunately, all staff members survived and were accounted for.

The attack happened in a region under the control of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been at war with Sudan’s regular army since April 2023. Mellit, located about 65 kilometers from El-Fasher, has been under RSF control since April 2024. El-Fasher is the last major city held by the army in Darfur and has been under siege for over a year.

In a statement, the RSF blamed the Sudanese army for the incident, accusing it of carrying out an airstrike on the convoy, calling it “a treacherous act of aggression.” The army has not yet commented on the allegation.

This comes as the humanitarian situation in Sudan worsens, with millions on the brink of starvation. The conflict, now in its third year, has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions. Aid agencies warn that famine has already been declared in some displacement camps near El-Fasher and could spread further.

The UN and countries including the United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Switzerland have called for urgent pauses in fighting to allow aid to reach civilians. However, both the army and the RSF have been accused of using starvation as a weapon of war by blocking or looting aid deliveries.

Earlier in June, five aid workers were killed in another attack on a joint WFP-UNICEF convoy traveling to El-Fasher.

International efforts to end the violence and ensure humanitarian access continue, but the situation in Darfur remains one of the world’s worst hunger crises, with over one million people at risk of starvation in North Darfur alone.

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