An attack on an aid convoy in Sudan's Darfur region kills 5, UN says

CAIRO -- An onslaught connected an assistance convoy successful Sudan’s Darfur portion near 5 radical dead, the United Nations said Tuesday, and the warring parties successful the northeast African federation traded blasted for the attack.

The onslaught connected the 15-truck convoy came Monday nighttime adjacent the Rapid Support Forces-controlled municipality of Koma successful North Darfur province. It was trying to scope el-Fasher city, according to a associated connection from the World Food Program and UNICEF. Both agencies called for an probe into the attack.

Sudan was plunged into a warfare much than 2 years ago, erstwhile tensions betwixt Sudan's service and its rival paramilitary RSF exploded with thoroughfare battles successful the superior of Khartoum that rapidly dispersed crossed the country.

Monday night's attack, successful which galore trucks were burned and assistance was damaged, besides wounded members of the convoy, the connection said. It didn’t accidental who was liable for the attack.

“It is devastating that the supplies person not reached the susceptible children and families they were intended to,” the connection said.

The WFP and UNICEF said they were negotiating to implicit the travel to el-Fasher, which is besieged by RSF, aft traveling much than 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) from the eastbound metropolis of Port Sudan connected the Red Sea, which serves arsenic an interim spot for the country’s military-allied government.

The RSF said successful a connection the convoy was deed by a subject craft successful a “preplanned attack.” Footage shared by the RSF showed burned vehicles carrying what appeared to beryllium flour bags.

The military-led government, however, rejected the accusation and said successful a connection that assistance trucks were “treacherously attacked by battle drones operated by the rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia.”

The Resistance Committees successful el-Fasher tracked the warring successful and astir the metropolis and blamed the paramilitaries for the attack, saying the RSF connection aimed to “mislead nationalist sentiment and evade accountability.”

El-Fasher, much than 800 kilometers (500 miles) southwest of Khartoum, is 1 of the past strongholds of the Sudanese subject successful Darfur. The portion has been nether RSF siege since May 2024.

Monday’s onslaught was the latest connected assistance operations successful the past 2 years. Last week, WFP’s premises successful el-Fasher were bombed, damaging a workshop, bureau gathering and clinic, according to the statement.

The warfare has created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. It has driven astir 13 cardinal radical from their homes, including implicit 4 cardinal who crossed into neighboring countries. Parts of Sudan person been pushed into famine.

The warring has been marked by atrocities including wide rape and ethnically motivated killings that magnitude to warfare crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly successful Darfur, according to the U.N. and planetary rights groups.