UN says at least five killed in attack on aid convoy in Sudan's western Darfur
Sudan descended into war over two years ago when escalating tensions between the army and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted into street fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and swiftly spread throughout the country.
At least five people have been killed and several others wounded in an attack on an aid convoy in Sudan’s Darfur region on Tuesday, the United Nations has said, with the warring parties in the northeast African nation trading blame for the attack, News.Az reports citing Euronews.
The attack on the 15-truck convoy carrying desperately needed food and nutrition supplies happened on Monday night near the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)-controlled town of Koma in North Dafur province.
It was trying to reach besieged el-Fasher city, according to a joint statement from the World Food Programme and UNICEF. Both agencies called for an investigation into the attack.
"This was the first UN humanitarian convoy that was going to make it to el-Fasher in over one year," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters at in New York.
Monday night's attack burned many trucks and damaged the aid they were carrying, the statement said. It didn’t say who was responsible for the attack.
The WFP and UNICEF said they were negotiating to complete the trip to el-Fasher from the eastern city of Port Sudan on the Red Sea, which serves as an interim seat for the country's military-allied government.
"It is devastating that the supplies have not reached the vulnerable children and families they were intended to," the statement said.
Dujarric said all those killed and injured were Sudanese contractors working for the WFP and UNICEF.
"They were 80 kilometres from el-Fasher, after having travelled 1,800 kilometres for days in incredibly difficult terrain, incredibly dangerous terrain," he said. "They were parked on the side of the road waiting for clearances and they were attacked."
"It was an air attack, most likely drones. But we don't know who the perpetrators were."
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