An aid convoy operated by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) came under attack Wednesday near the famine-stricken town of Mellit in North Darfur, underscoring the deepening humanitarian crisis amid Sudan’s war.
Three of the 16 trucks in the convoy, which was delivering food assistance to vulnerable communities in Alsayah village, were damaged and set ablaze, WFP spokesperson Gift Watanasathorn told AFP. All staff members were reported safe. Mellit has been under the control of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2024, in their war with Sudan’s army that has raged for more than two years.
The attack came as a U.S.-led coalition of mediators voiced alarm over Sudan’s humanitarian catastrophe, urging warring factions to allow unhindered aid access and protect civilians. The Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan (ALPS) Group—which includes the U.S., Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the African Union and the UN—said it was “appalled by the continuous deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Sudan.”
The group cited soaring levels of malnutrition, famine conditions and widespread obstacles hindering aid delivery in critical areas. “Civilians continue to pay the highest price for this war,” it said, stressing that needs have reached “critical levels.”
Mediators called on the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF to remove bureaucratic barriers, keep supply routes open, restore communications and honor commitments under the May 2023 Jeddah Declaration, which sought to end the conflict.
Since fighting erupted in April 2023, more than 20,000 people have been killed and 14 million displaced, according to the UN. Independent research from U.S. universities, however, estimates the death toll to be as high as 130,000, making Sudan one of the world’s deadliest conflicts in recent years.
