WFP convoy attacked in North Kordofan

A World Food Programme (WFP) truck travelling to Tawila in North Darfur came under attack in North Kordofan on Thursday night, injuring the driver and damaging the vehicle.

In a statement, WFP said the truck had stopped in Hamrat El Sheikh, North Kordofan for repairs due to mechanical problems when it was attacked, “destroying the truck’s cabin and seriously injuring the driver.” The driver was evacuated to hospital for urgent treatment. The assailants remain unknown.

The 39-truck convoy was halfway through its 1,000-kilometre journey when the incident occurred, WFP noted, stressing that its path had been cleared for use by all parties to the conflict. The route is “the main supply lifeline for WFP to reach the most vulnerable people in Darfur.” The convoy was transporting food assistance to displaced families in Tawila, where WFP supports some 700,000 people.

UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric condemned the attack during a press briefing in New York. “Humanitarian workers and their property must never be a target. The fact that we have to repeat this is a tragedy in itself.”

WFP said this was the sixth major attack on its trucks, assets, and facilities in Sudan in the past year alone. At least eight humanitarian workers and partners have been killed, and others injured, over the same period.

Radio Dabanga has covered several attacks on humanitarian agencies, including WFP, since the early days of the war, including the looting of its warehouse in El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, and the targeting of convoys in Blue Nile region and in North Darfur’s Mellit and El Koma.