Sudan aid convoy attack draws widespread condemnation

The deadly bombing of World Food Programme (WFP) trucks in South Kordofan, in which a driver was killed, has drawn widespread condemnation from Sudanese civil society groups and international officials, who are calling for an independent investigation, accountability for those responsible, and stronger protection for humanitarian convoys.

As previously reported by Radio Dabanga, two ‘clearly marked’ trucks, contracted to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and carrying humanitarian food assistance, came under attack en route from Dilling to Kadugli on Saturday.

Wolfram Vetter, head of the European Union delegation to Sudan, strongly condemns the attack, saying the WFP is transporting vital humanitarian assistance, funded by international donors, including the EU, to civilians, women, children, and vulnerable elderly people who are most in need.

He says the obstruction and targeting of humanitarian aid in Sudan could put vital relief operations at risk of being halted. He strongly supports the WFP’s call for an immediate international investigation to stop such attacks and hold those responsible to account.

The WFP confirmed on Sunday that an air attack had targeted two trucks contracted by the programme and carrying its food supplies in South Kordofan during the early hours of Saturday, 3 October. The airstrike killed one of the drivers. The WFP says the trucks were clearly marked as humanitarian vehicles and were travelling from Dilling to Kadugli. It has not identified those responsible and says it is still gathering details about the circumstances of the attack.

Calls for urgent action

The Sudan Doctors Network has condemned what it describes as an attack by RSF drones on trucks contracted by the UN’s World Food Programme. The network says the attack killed one driver and has called for those responsible to be identified and held accountable.

The General Coordination of Refugee and Displaced Persons Camps in Darfur has also condemned the incident and called for an independent, transparent investigation into the attack.

The Sudan Doctors Network called on the UN, international humanitarian organisations, and human rights groups to ensure that the circumstances of the attack are independently investigated, with the findings made public. It also called for urgent measures to protect humanitarian convoys and their personnel, describing aid as a lifeline for millions of civilians affected by the war.

Calls for humanitarian corridors

Adam Rijal, a spokesperson for the General Coordination of Refugee and Displaced Persons Camps in Darfur, told Radio Dabanga that humanitarian workers and relief convoys must be protected, while humanitarian roads and routes must be secured to ensure aid can continue reaching civilians without obstruction or danger.

He called for an immediate halt to attacks on humanitarian facilities, vehicles, and personnel, and strict adherence to international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians.

Rijal stressed that civilians and humanitarian workers are not parties to the war, and that humanitarian assistance is not a military target. Relief trucks carrying food, medicine, and other means of survival, he says, must receive full protection and respect under international humanitarian law.

He called for safe humanitarian corridors and routes to be opened to allow food, medicine, water, and other basic necessities to reach displaced people and affected communities, particularly in areas experiencing a severe deterioration in humanitarian conditions.

Rijal also called for the urgent humanitarian response to be strengthened in South Kordofan, Darfur, and other areas affected by the war, and for humanitarian suffering not to be allowed to become a bargaining chip or tool in the conflict.