Attack on UN humanitarian convoy in Sudan leaves 5 dead
Five members of a United Nations humanitarian convoy have been killed in an attack in western Sudan.
The UN says a joint World Food Programme and UNICEF convoy made up of 15 trucks was attacked on Monday in North Darfur.
It says the convoy was on its way to the city of El Fasher for the first time in over a year, loaded with nutrition supplies and food aid.
The UN says five Sudanese aid workers died in the attack, multiple of its trucks were burned, and critical humanitarian supplies were damaged.
In Sudan, fighting has continued since 2023 between the country's military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF.
According to a non-governmental organization, more than 28,000 people have died. The UN says at least 12 million people have been forcibly displaced from their homes.
Reuters news agency reports that the army and the RSF have released statements blaming each other for the attack.
A UN spokesperson says the United Nations condemns "in the strongest possible terms this horrendous act of violence against humanitarian personnel who literally put their lives at risk in an attempt to reach vulnerable children and families in the famine-impacted areas of Sudan."
The spokesperson points out that all attacks on humanitarian personnel, their facilities and their vehicles are violations under international humanitarian law and must stop.
He says the UN is calling for an urgent investigation and for the perpetrators to be held to account.
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