Drone attack destroys UN aid convoy in Sudan’s famine-hit Darfur region

The onslaught is the 2nd successful the past 3 months to forestall a UN assistance convoy from delivering to North Dafur.

A drone onslaught has deed a convoy of 16 trucks carrying desperately needed nutrient to Sudan‘s famine-hit North Darfur region, the United Nations said, arsenic warring parties commercialized blasted for the attack.

UN spokesperson Daniela Gross told reporters connected Thursday that each drivers and unit travelling with the World Food Programme (WFP) convoy were safe.

At slightest 3 of the trucks caught fire, according to a WFP connection quoted by the Reuters quality agency. Gross said each trucks had caught fire, according to The Associated Press quality agency.

It was not yet wide who was liable for Wednesday’s attack, the 2nd successful the past 3 months to forestall a UN convoy from delivering to North Darfur.

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) accused the Sudanese service of hitting the convoys arsenic portion of a drone onslaught connected Mellit marketplace and different areas. The service aboriginal said successful a connection that this was a fabrication to distract from what it termed the RSF’s crimes.

In aboriginal June, a convoy from the WFP and the UN bureau for children, UNICEF, was attacked portion awaiting clearance to proceed to North Darfur’s besieged capital, el-Fasher, sidesplitting 5 radical and injuring respective others.

Edem Wosornu, of UN humanitarian bureau OCHA, said immoderate 70 trucks of supplies were waiting successful the RSF-controlled metropolis of Nyala to get to el-Fashir, but information guarantees were needed arsenic humanitarian workers were coming nether attack.

The onslaught came arsenic respective countries, including the United States, Saudi Arabia and neighbouring Egypt, voiced alarm astatine the worsening hunger concern successful war-torn Sudan, calling for pauses successful warring to fto successful much aid.

The warfare successful Sudan began successful April 2023, erstwhile unit caused by long-simmering tensions betwixt its subject and the paramilitary RSF erupted successful the capital, Khartoum, and dispersed to different regions, including occidental Darfur.

Some 40,000 radical person been killed and astir 13 cardinal displaced, UN agencies say. Nearly 25 cardinal radical are experiencing acute hunger.

The RSF and their allies announced successful precocious June that they had formed a parallel authorities successful areas they control, chiefly successful the immense Darfur region, wherever allegations of warfare crimes and crimes against humanity are being investigated.

The RSF has encircled el-Fasher, wherever the UN says radical are facing starvation. It is the lone superior the paramilitary forces don’t clasp successful Darfur, which is comprised of 5 states.

An estimated 300,000 remaining residents successful the metropolis person been subjected to a agelong siege arsenic warring rages.

Last year, a famine was declared successful the Zamzam displacement campy successful North Darfur. The hazard of famine has since dispersed to 17 areas successful Darfur and the Kordofan region, which is adjacent to North Darfur and westbound of Khartoum, according to the UN.

WFP spokesperson Gift Watanasathorn urged the warring parties to “respect planetary humanitarian law”. “Humanitarian unit and assets indispensable ne'er beryllium a target,” Watanasathorn said.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies