Sudan’s Army has dismissed accusations that it bombed a World Food Programme (WFP) convoy delivering aid to famine-hit communities in Mellit, North Darfur.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which control the town, alleged the military was behind Wednesday’s air strike. The UN agency confirmed that a drone hit the 16-vehicle convoy, destroying three lorries but leaving all aid staff unharmed. The WFP condemned the incident, stressing that “humanitarian staff and assets must never be a target” and calling on both warring factions to respect international law.
The attack comes as the civil war, which erupted in April 2023 between the army and the RSF, continues to devastate Sudan, displacing 12 million people and forcing 4.5 million into neighboring countries.
El-Fasher, the army’s last stronghold in Darfur, has been under RSF siege for over a year and remains a flashpoint in the conflict. Both sides have faced accusations of weaponizing hunger by blocking aid routes and looting food supplies. Similar attacks on humanitarian convoys, including one that killed five aid workers in June, highlight the escalating risks for relief operations amid one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.