ROME – The head of the Rome-based UN World Food Programme (WFP) said yesterday that the organisation would temporarily halt its humanitarian activities in Sudan, a day after three employees were killed in the country.
WFP executive director Cindy McCain said she was “appalled and heartbroken” by the deaths, which took place in Kabkabiya district of North Darfur state.
In a statement, McCain confirmed reports that the workers were killed “while carrying out their life-saving duties on the front lines of the global hunger crisis”. She also said two other WFP workers were injured in the same attack.
The deceased workers were all Sudan nationals, according to media reports.
In a separate incident that took place on Saturday, an aircraft belonging to WFP’s Humanitarian Air Service was seriously damaged at Khartoum International Airport, WFP said.
“Any loss of life in humanitarian service is unacceptable and I demand immediate steps to guarantee the safety of those who remain,” McCain said. “Aid workers are neutral and should never be a target. Threats to our teams make it impossible to operate safely and effectively in the country and carry out WFP’s critical work.”
McCain said that WFP would temporarily halt all its activities in Sudan while reviewing the security situation in the war-torn country, reported Xinhua.
“WFP is committed to assisting the Sudanese people who are facing dire food insecurity,” McCain said. “But we cannot do our life-saving work if the safety and security of our teams and partners is not guaranteed.”
Violent clashes erupted Saturday between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Khartoum and other cities, with the two sides trading accusations of initiating the conflict.
Sudan’s Central Doctors’ Committee said that at least 56 civilians had been killed while 595 more have been injured, among them soldiers who are in critical condition.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday strongly condemned the outbreak of fighting between the two forces, said his spokesman, and called on the two sides to immediately cease hostilities. – Bernama, April 17, 2023
