A UN-contracted aid convoy was hit en route to famine-threatened families near El Obeid. The strike killed at least one person and destroyed vital food supplies …reports Asian Lite News
A drone attack struck trucks transporting food aid for displaced families in Sudan’s North Kordofan state, killing at least one person and injuring several others, the United Nations said.
The trucks, contracted by the World Food Programme, were travelling from Kosti to deliver food to starved, displaced people near the state capital, El Obeid, when they were hit, according to a statement by the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Denise Brown.
The attack caused the vehicles to catch fire, destroying food supplies intended for humanitarian response, Brown said. She said she encountered the aftermath of the strike a few hours later while leaving El Obeid.
“This follows another drone strike earlier this week near a WFP facility in Yabus, Blue Nile State, in which a staff member was injured,” Brown said, adding to concerns over the safety of humanitarian operations in the country.
Humanitarian personnel, assets and supplies must be protected at all times, she said, warning that attacks on aid operations undermine efforts to reach people facing acute hunger and displacement.
Sudan has been gripped by conflict since April 2023, displacing millions and pushing large parts of the population toward famine. Aid agencies say insecurity and attacks on humanitarian convoys continue to severely restrict access to vulnerable communities.
Brown stressed that safe and unimpeded humanitarian access remains critical to ensure assistance reaches those most in need across Sudan. The latest incident underscores the risks facing relief efforts as agencies attempt to move supplies across front lines and through areas where shifting control and continuing violence have complicated delivery routes. Humanitarian organisations have repeatedly said that even when permissions are granted, guarantees of safe passage are fragile, with convoys exposed to looting, bureaucratic impediments and direct attack.
North Kordofan, with El Obeid as its main urban centre, has become an important hub for aid moving towards communities cut off by fighting elsewhere. The destruction of food carried on the convoy is likely to deepen pressure on pipelines already stretched by funding shortfalls and growing needs, relief workers say.
The UN has consistently called on all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law and facilitate rapid, safe and sustained access. Friday’s strike, coming days after the reported incident in Blue Nile State, is expected to intensify diplomatic engagement over the protection of aid workers and cargo.
Each incident can lead to suspensions, route changes or additional negotiations that slow the arrival of assistance to people already surviving on minimal support.
Despite the insecurity, agencies say they will continue efforts to reach civilians in need, arguing that the scale of suffering leaves little alternative. Brown reiterated that the ability to move without obstruction remains fundamental to averting further deterioration in food security across the country.
