A United Nations convoy carrying food supplies to Sudan’s al-Fashir in North Darfur was attacked overnight, killing five people and injuring several others, according to a statement by the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF on Tuesday.
The RSF and local activists blamed the attack on airstrikes by General al-Burhan’s Sudanese army (SAF).
Eva Hinds of UNICEF told Reuters the convoy, which included trucks from WFP and UNICEF, was stationed in Al Koma awaiting clearance to proceed to al-Fashir when it was targeted.
The RSF’s humanitarian commission condemned the attack, accusing the SAF of conducting airstrikes that endangered aid workers and civilians.
Local activists echoed the RSF’s claims, pointing to previous SAF drone strikes in the area that killed several civilians.
Al Koma, under RSF control, has been a vital hub for humanitarian assistance. The RSF has repeatedly called on the international community to ensure safe passage for aid convoys.
“This attack is yet another violation of international law and further proof of the army’s disregard for civilian safety,” the RSF commission said.
Conditions in al-Fashir remain dire, with famine threatening thousands due to SAF-imposed blockades and attacks on supply routes. Despite the conflict, the RSF has allowed humanitarian access through areas it controls.
The attack comes after the RSF reported repeated shelling of World Food Programme facilities in al-Fashir by the SAF and a strike on al Obeid hospital last month that killed several medical workers.
Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since 2023 between the SAF, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.
The RSF has called for an end to indiscriminate violence and renewed efforts to protect humanitarian operations across Sudan.
