UN chief condemns deadly attack on aid convoy in Sudan's North Darfur

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday strongly condemned an attack on a joint humanitarian convoy in Sudan's North Darfur state that killed five staff members of the World Food Program (WFP) and UNICEF and injured several others.

"This was the first UN humanitarian convoy that was going to make it to El Fasher in more than a year," Guterres said in a post on X, adding "it's devastating that the supplies did not make it to vulnerable families in the famine-impacted areas of Sudan."

He described the assault as a "horrendous act of violence" and called for immediate action to protect aid workers.

"Attacks on humanitarian personnel, their facilities and vehicles must stop. Now," Guterres said.

El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, has witnessed intense fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since May 2024, despite international warnings about the risks of violence in a city that serves as a key humanitarian hub for the five Darfur states.

The Sudanese government and the RSF traded accusations Tuesday on the aid convoy attack.

The RSF and the army have been locked in a brutal power struggle since April 2023, resulting in thousands of deaths and pushing Sudan into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

More than 20,000 people have been killed and 15 million displaced, according to UN and local figures. However, US-based researchers estimate the actual death toll to be as high as 130,000.