The humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, Khardiata Lo Ndiaye, condemned this looting of humanitarian assistance “aimed at the most vulnerable people in Sudan”.
Unidentified gunmen raided the warehouses of the World Food Program (WFP) in the capital of the troubled state of Darfur, in western Sudan, and looted part of its contents, after clashing with Sudanese security forces, the governor reported today from North Darfur.
Nimr Mohamed Abdel Rahman, the governor of the affected state, told Sudan’s state television that armed men aboard six 4×4 vehicles attacked WFP warehouses yesterday, Tuesday, in Al Fasher, and “they clashed with the forces that were protecting the facilities and looted quantities of food.”
Subsequently, dozens of people came to the scene after hearing the sound of the armed clashes and “the citizens managed to enter the warehouses after the confrontations stopped and the attackers withdrew, and looted another quantity of food,” added the governor.
He noted that security was restored today and warehouses are protected after more police forces arrived, and that authorities are investigating who is behind the attack, which left no victims.
For her part, the humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, Khardiata Lo Ndiaye, condemned this looting of humanitarian assistance “aimed at the most vulnerable people in Sudan”, he said in a statement, adding that this attack “hampers” the ability to “deliver products to the people who need it most.”
Humanitarian assistance, a necessity for hundreds of thousands of Sudanese
According to preliminary PMA reports, the warehouse “contained up to 1,900 metric tons of food, intended for hundreds of thousands of food insecure people in that area ”.
On the other hand, the local authorities arrested last Sunday those responsible for another attack and looting that took place on December 24 against the headquarters of the UN peacekeeping mission and the African Union in Darfur (UNAMID), which concluded his official term a year ago.
In that incident at the headquarters, where there is still a police unit made up of 363 people to protect the members of the United Nations and the facilities and property, there was a shooting that caused the death of a citizen.
UNAMID announced last June the “end of the gradual withdrawal process”, after a 13-year mandate in Darfur, which was the scene of a bloody war between 2003 and 2008 that left more than 300,000 dead, according to the UN.
An estimated 14.3 million people in Sudan are in need of humanitarian assistance according to the 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan, of which 25% require food security and support for their livelihoods, according to the UN. (I)
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