UN-Hilfsvoi attacked in Sudan: five deaths in bloody attack!

UN-Hilfsvoi attacked in Sudan: five deaths in bloody attack!

al-Koma, Nord-Darfur, Sudan - A violent attack on a UN-Hilfsvoi in Sudan has challenged tragic consequences. Today, several news agencies report that at least five people were killed in the attack while others were injured. The incident occurred during the night when the convoy with 15 trucks, loaded with urgently needed food, was attacked near the city of Koma, Nord-Darfur, which was controlled by the paramilitary rapid support forces (RSF). The convoy was on the way from Port Sudan to El-Fasher, one of the most besieged cities in the region, and represents the first UN aid convoy to read this route for over a year.

The UN spokeswoman Stephane Dujarric confirmed that all fatalities and injured Sudanese contractors were of Unicef ​​and the World Food Program (WFP). The convoy was stopped on the side of the street to wait for permits when it was shot at. According to the first reports, it is believed that the attack may have been carried out by a military aircraft, perhaps even with drones. While the RSF blames the Sudanese army for the attack, the army accuses the RSF to have set the truck on fire.

strong humanitarian pressure through conflicts

The conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese army has lasted for over two years and has devastating effects on the population. Millions of people left their homeland; six million had to flee Sudan alone. According to international estimates, 24 million people in Sudan are dependent on humanitarian aid, and over 13 million have been expelled in the past few months. At the beginning of 2024, the region was increasingly affected by hunger crises, and current reports indicate that El-Fasher is one of the most vulnerable regions in which hundreds of thousands of people are exposed to acute risks of malnutrition.

The attacks on humanitarian employees are part of a worrying trend that has reported reportedly in the past two years. In the past few weeks there have been several attacks on WFP facilities in EL-Fasher and also at medical facilities in North Cordofan. These incidents throw an alarming light on the security of humanitarian missions in the country broken by the conflict. Nevertheless, the UN aid convoy was organized under the protection of the warfare parties, which makes the attack all the more scandalous.

international reactions and perspectives

The United Nations urgently require an examination of the attack and call for an end to attacks on humanitarian personnel and institutions. Sudan's military military defends himself against the allegations and calls for the end of the UN stabilization mission in the country. The tense relationship between the Sudanese government and international organizations contributes to the tightening of the humanitarian crisis, while specific reports of ethnic cleansing and massive human rights violations that are accused of RSF militias.

The continued fights, which often take place in residential areas, and the already existing challenges in providing humanitarian help, are an existential threat to the population. Helpers report extreme food bottlenecks that also affect neighboring countries. At least 800,000 refugees from Sudan are currently living in Chad, with the aid organizations facing financial bottlenecks that could lead to a standstill of aid from December. The war not only torn the social structure, but also the economic stability of the region into the abyss.