Sudan: Militia loots UN food aid warehouse in Darfur

Gunmen raided a United Nations aid warehouse in Sudan, containing 1,900 tons of food, officials said on Wednesday.

An armed group stormed the World Food Program (WFP) building in North Darfur state as well as facilities used by a former peacekeeping mission.

Residents of the regional capital El Fasher told reporters they had heard heavy shooting near the warehouse late Tuesday night.

"We heard intense gunfire," local resident Mohamed Salem told AFP news agency.

In response, authorities have imposed a night-time curfew, according to state news agency SUNA.

Aid 'should never be a target'

The WFP said it was conducting an audit into what was stolen from the warehouse. Khardiata Lo N'diaye, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Sudan, said the warehouse contained lifesaving supplies for some of the most vulnerable people.

"One in three people in Sudan needs humanitarian assistance," she said. "Humanitarian assistance should never be a target."

The food was meant for hundreds of thousands of food-insecure people in that area, according to a statement.

The regional governor, Mini Minawi, called for justice against the attackers, in a post on Twitter.

Western Sudan plagued with violence

Violence has surged in the country's western region since October, due to disputes over land, grazing rights, and access to water. More than 250 people have died in clashes between farmers and herders.

Meanwhile, armed factions are jostling for power after the signing of a 2020 peace deal with some rebel groups, and many fighters are returning from neighboring Libya.

Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

A 13-year joint peacekeeping operation, run by the UN and the African Union, UNAMID, ended in December. However, leftover supplies and equipment are intended for use by local authorities, according to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Guterres last week condemned separate cases of looting and violence near a former UN logistics base in El Fasher.

Sudan has yet to deploy a national force that was meant to replace UNAMID, and the country has been further destabilized by a coup in October.

Sudan is one of the poorest counties in the world, and at least 14.3 million people require humanitarian assistance, according to the UN.

aw/fb (AFP, Reuters, AP)