{"id":20120127,"date":"2025-08-24T07:55:59","date_gmt":"2025-08-24T05:55:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/?p=20120127"},"modified":"2025-08-24T07:56:17","modified_gmt":"2025-08-24T05:56:17","slug":"un-aid-convoy-bombed-in-mellit-north-darfur-who-is-responsible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/en\/all-news\/article\/un-aid-convoy-bombed-in-mellit-north-darfur-who-is-responsible","title":{"rendered":"UN aid convoy bombed in Mellit, North Darfur \u2013 Who is responsible?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The bombing of a World Food Programme (WFP) aid convoy on Wednesday morning in the town of Mellit, North Darfur, sparked widespread international and local reactions, with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the army trading accusations over the bombing.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The RSF have controlled the city of Mellit, 65 kilometres away, since April 2024. The city is a major commercial port linking Sudan to Libya and has gained significant importance as one of the country\u2019s main commercial centres since the outbreak of the armed conflict.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Previous incidents<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The city has been subjected to dozens of airstrikes since the RSF took control of it, most recently on Thursday, August 14, and Sunday, August 17, before the convoy was bombed on Wednesday, August 20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radio Dabanga sources reported that two people were killed when a suicide drone bombed the El Marakeb market at the Libya bus station in Mellit on Sunday, August 17, in addition to the burning of several shops and a vehicle. The sources explained that another missile hit a fuel tanker in the El Marakeb neighbourhood, without causing any casualties. On Thursday, August 14, a suicide drone targeted two military vehicles in El Zariba, with shrapnel hitting a number of civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radio Dabanga documented dozens of incidents revealing the deaths of civilians and livestock in Mellit over the course of a year and four months. Media sources close to the army have been publishing news of airstrikes on Mellit and other towns as they occurred, with the exception of the convoy bombing, which RSF commanders took the initiative to document on video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In early June, a joint humanitarian convoy was bombed near the town of El Koma<\/a>, North Darfur, killing five convoy members and wounding others. Several trucks were also burned, and vital humanitarian supplies were damaged. The army and the RSF traded accusations for the attack on the humanitarian convoy, which occurred in El Koma yesterday evening, with each side publishing photos of the burned trucks. The RSF control El Koma, which has been subjected to repeated aerial and drone strikes by the army, most recently last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Details of the bombing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A video released by the RSF shows two trucks engulfed in flames, with smoke billowing from them. The video also shows other trucks bearing the World Food Programme logo, intact. The spokesperson in the video said the attack occurred on Wednesday, August 20, at 12 noon. He also noted that the bombing targeted other areas of the city, adding that the convoy came through the Tina crossing on the Chadian border, which is controlled by the armed forces and the joint force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Screenshots from videos released by the RSF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mutual accusations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hours after the video was released, the RSF issued an official statement accusing the army of targeting a World Food Programme aid convoy of 16 trucks, destroying two of them, while they were inside the Mellit customs facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She stated that the attack targeted the Mellit market and the customs checkpoint, resulting in dozens of civilian deaths and injuries. She called on the international community and humanitarian and human rights organisations to clearly and explicitly condemn this criminal attack and launch an urgent investigation to hold accountable those responsible for targeting relief convoys. She emphasised the need for immediate pressure to halt the army\u2019s attacks on humanitarian workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For his part, the official spokesman for the Founding Alliance, Dr. Alaa Naqd, in a statement seen by Radio Dabanga, considered the bombing of the convoy a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions, and a deliberate disregard for the lives of millions of Sudanese living under the yoke of war and hunger. He accused the army of carrying out the bombing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast, the armed forces, in a statement yesterday, described the accusations against them as misleading, an attempt by the RSF to cover up their crime of targeting the convoy in the same area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement said that what the RSF had published was \u201cmere, familiar lies, an attempt to obscure the truth and distort the reality that exposes its ongoing violations.\u201d It accused the RSF of theft, looting, sabotage, murder, rape, the siege and starvation of residents of El Fasher and other cities, and the invasion of camps for displaced persons in Darfur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement added: \u201cThe Sudanese government, which has agreed to open humanitarian aid routes, including the Adr\u00e9 border crossing with Chad, cannot in any way target any aid convoys arriving for the benefit of civilians.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Humanitarian Sector of the Civil Democratic Alliance of Revolutionary Forces (Sumud) also condemned the bombing of the humanitarian aid convoy in Mellit, pointing to the ongoing targeting of humanitarian efforts by the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces, ignoring international laws that prohibit the use of starvation as a weapon against civilians in war, and showing no concern for their plight and ongoing suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Air attack targets<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The army\u2019s airstrikes on Mellit aim to cut off supply lines, as the city serves as an advanced point for the RSF (RSF) to obtain fuel and equipment from the Libyan border. Flight records document numerous flights by Emirati cargo planes to Kufra, while Emirati cargo flights to Chad have been halted for three months. The Sudanese government accuses the UAE of aiding the RSF, a charge the latter consistently denies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Convoy details<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last Monday, the Darfur Regional Government, headed by Minni Arko Minawi, announced the arrival of 17 food aid trucks in the Mellit locality in North Darfur, carrying 260 tons of food supplies provided by the World Food Programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He explained that this aid is sufficient to cover the food needs of approximately 23,000 beneficiaries, including displaced persons and host families, and will be distributed according to a plan covering the areas of Mellit, El Abbasi, Sayah, Abu Qu, and Armel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities confirmed that the convoy arrived safely after security forces and the joint force secured the crossing routes. Abdel-Baqi Mohamed Hamid, Director General of Social Welfare and Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator, then appealed to the RSF and all its allied parties to adhere to the principles of humanitarian action and allow relief convoys to enter El Fasher to provide relief to the citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

World Food Programme reveals details<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The World Food Programme announced that a 16-truck convoy carrying life-saving food aid for the most vulnerable in the village of El Saya was attacked near Mellit, a famine-affected area in North Darfur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a brief press release seen by Radio Dabanga yesterday, the program said: \u201cThree trucks were damaged and caught fire, but all members of the convoy are safe.\u201d It added: \u201cWe are working urgently to gather additional information about the circumstances and assess their impact on our operations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The programme called on all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law and ensure the safety of humanitarian workers and supplies, stressing that humanitarian workers and their property must never be targeted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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US and Norwegian condemnation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

US Presidential Advisor for African Affairs Masad Boulos condemned the attack on three World Food Programme trucks in North Darfur on Wednesday, which destroyed food supplies intended for famine victims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a tweet on the X platform, Paul reiterated his call for ensuring unhindered humanitarian access and the protection of civilians, demanding that perpetrators of any violations of international humanitarian law be held accountable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For their part, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide and International Development Minister Asmund \u00c5kerost issued a joint statement regarding the attack on a World Food Programme aid convoy in Darfur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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