WFP Reports the Loss of Three Staff Members in Sudan
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Khartoum, Dec 20 (NationPress) The World Food Programme (WFP) reported on Friday that three of its personnel were tragically killed in an aerial strike in Sudan, prompting a pledge from the Sudanese government to investigate the occurrence.
"The WFP is outraged by the killing of three of its staff members in an aerial bombardment in Sudan on Thursday, December 19, 2024," the UN agency stated in a post on the social media platform X.
"A WFP office was impacted during the assault. We are in the process of gathering further information and will keep the public updated as we acquire more details," it continued.
Meanwhile, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry has vowed to investigate the incident to establish accountability, according to reports from Xinhua news agency.
"The office of the United Nations Resident Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan has indicated that the WFP office located in the Yabus area of Blue Nile State was bombed last night, resulting in the deaths of three staff members," the ministry confirmed in a statement.
"The Government of Sudan reiterates its rejection and condemnation of any attacks on UN agencies and all humanitarian workers," it added.
Since mid-April 2023, Sudan has been embroiled in a severe conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
This week, the WFP highlighted that the rising violence in Sudan is obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid to regions at risk of famine.
"Fighting in Um Rawwaba, North Kordofan, has halted a convoy from reaching areas at risk of famine in both North and South Kordofan, including Kadugli and Dilling," stated a WFP announcement.
The trucks were compelled to retreat to a safer location and await rerouting to other accessible areas in South Kordofan and Blue Nile State as conditions allow, it added.
The WFP further noted that even the currently available routes have turned increasingly perilous in recent weeks as fighting and heavy shelling have intensified.
In October, the UN organization reported providing food, cash, and nutritional aid to 2.8 million individuals nationwide. It is currently striving to deliver essential food and nutrition support to 14 hunger hotspots, many of which are situated in conflict-affected regions across Darfur, Kordofan, Khartoum, and Gezira, where the conflict is continuing to escalate.
The WFP is actively supporting community kitchens in certain areas of Khartoum through local partners, aiming to distribute up to 100,000 hot meals each month. Additionally, the WFP is broadening its cash-based assistance, including the introduction of a self-registration pilot for cash-based support for residents of Khartoum.
Recently, the Sudanese government disclosed that 28.9 million individuals in the nation require humanitarian assistance due to the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which began in mid-April 2023.
