Sudan’s army has denied responsibility for an airstrike that hit a World Food Programme convoy delivering aid to famine stricken Mellit, a town under control of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF accused the army of targeting the convoy, but the military dismissed the claim as misinformation and blamed the RSF for the attack.
The WFP confirmed that three of the 16 trucks were damaged and caught fire, though all staff were unharmed. The convoy was headed to a village near Mellit, about 90km northwest of el-Fasher, one of the most contested areas in Sudan’s ongoing civil war.
Since April 2023, the conflict between the army and RSF has triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, displacing over 12 million people and forcing 4.5 million mostly women and children into neighboring countries.
Both sides have been accused of weaponizing hunger by blocking aid and looting supplies. The WFP condemned the attack, stating, “Humanitarian staff and assets must never be a target,” and called for respect of international humanitarian law.
This latest assault follows a deadly incident in June where five aid workers were killed in el-Fasher, underscoring the growing danger faced by humanitarian missions in Sudan.
