Five killed in attack on UN aid convoy near El-Fasher, Sudan

Five people were killed on Monday night when a United Nations convoy carrying food and nutrition aid to the Sudanese city of el-Fasher came under attack near el-Koma in North Darfur.

Several others were injured and multiple trucks were burnt, according to UN agencies.

The convoy, made up of 15 trucks from the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF, was delivering life-saving supplies to children and families in el-Fasher, where fighting and food shortages have worsened due to the ongoing civil war.

"It is devastating that this food and nutrition support did not make it to the famine-stricken families who need it the most," the UN agencies said in a joint statement.

They condemned the attack and called for an urgent investigation, demanding that those responsible be held to account.

The two warring sides, the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — accused each other of using drones to strike the convoy. The UN did not confirm how the attack happened.

El-Fasher is the last major area in North Darfur still under army control.

The city has been under repeated attacks by the RSF for over a year, putting both civilians and soldiers at risk.

The convoy was trying to reach the area with urgent humanitarian aid when it was attacked.

Following the assault, a local volunteer group known as the el-Koma Emergency Room posted a video on Facebook showing a burnt truck loaded with aid.

The group blamed the attack on the Sudanese army. El-Koma, which is under RSF control, has also faced repeated assaults in recent months.

The el-Koma Emergency Room said that a day before the convoy attack, at least 89 people were killed or wounded after the Sudanese army carried out airstrikes in the town.

The army has not responded to this claim.

According to the Sudan Tribune news website, the warplanes hit a crowded market in el-Koma.

The civil war in Sudan began in 2023 after a power struggle broke out between the army and the RSF. The two groups had earlier worked together to block Sudan’s move toward democracy but later turned on each other.

On Tuesday, Eujin Byun, a spokesperson for the UN refugee agency, said more than four million people have fled since the conflict began.

The war has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.