Sudan’s army has denied responsibility for a deadly air strike on a World Food Programme (WFP) aid convoy in Darfur, as the country’s brutal civil war continues to devastate millions of lives. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which controls the town of Mellit where the attack occurred on Wednesday, accused the army of carrying out the strike. A UN agency confirmed that a drone hit the convoy, igniting three of the 16 vehicles and destroying them. Fortunately, all staff members survived the attack.
The assault is the latest in a wave of attacks on humanitarian aid operations in Sudan, where food and relief supplies are increasingly being obstructed, looted, or destroyed. The WFP condemned the incident, stressing that “humanitarian staff and assets must never be a target,” and urged both sides to respect international humanitarian law.
The convoy had been headed to a famine-affected village near Mellit, about 90km northwest of el-Fasher, the last remaining stronghold of the Sudanese army in Darfur. For more than a year, el-Fasher has been under siege by the RSF, which has intensified its efforts to seize control in recent weeks. Both warring factions have previously faced accusations of using starvation as a weapon of war.
Sudan plunged into civil war in April 2023 after a violent power struggle erupted between the army and the RSF, leading to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Tens of thousands have been killed, and more than 12 million people have been displaced. Over 4.5 million refugees, mostly women and children, have fled to neighboring countries in search of safety. In June, five aid workers were killed in a similar attack in el-Fasher, underscoring the escalating risks for humanitarian missions in the conflict zone.
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