Five killed in ‘horrifying’ attack on aid convoy in Sudan’s North Darfur,
June 3, 2025 (PORT SUDAN/NEW YORK) – Five humanitarian workers were killed and several others injured in a “horrifying” attack on an aid convoy in North Darfur state on Monday night, the United Nations said, as famine conditions worsen across Sudan.
Kristine Hambrouck, the U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator a.i. in Sudan, condemned the incident in Al Koma, North Darfur, calling it a “deliberate assault on civilians” and a “blatant violation of international humanitarian law.”
U.N. Spokesman Stephane Dujarric in New York added that the U.N. “condemn[s] in the strongest terms this horrendous act of violence against humanitarian personnel who literally put their lives at risk attempting to reach vulnerable children and families in the famine-impacted areas.”
The convoy, consisting of 15 trucks from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF, had travelled over 1,800 km (1,118 miles) from Port Sudan. It was carrying critical food, nutrition, and other essential supplies for children and families facing severe hunger. Dujarric revealed this was the first U.N. humanitarian convoy attempting to reach El Fasher in over a year, underscoring the immense access challenges.
The agencies were negotiating final access to the state capital, El Fasher, when the convoy was targeted. Dujarric emphasized that the route was shared in advance, and parties on the ground were notified and aware of the trucks’ location, strengthening claims of a deliberate attack.
“Multiple trucks were burned, and critical humanitarian supplies were damaged or destroyed,” Hambrouck said in a statement released Tuesday. Dujarric added that it was “devastating the supplies have not reached the civilians in need.”
“Humanitarian workers and operations are protected under international law. Attacking them is not only unlawful — it is inhumane,” Hambrouck stated.
She extended her deepest condolences to the families and colleagues of those killed, noting they were “risking their lives to help others” under hazardous conditions.
The atrocity comes as nearly 25 million people in Sudan are experiencing acute hunger, with over two million facing famine conditions or at risk, particularly in North Darfur. Aid efforts to reach them are consistently met with violence, obstruction, and intimidation, Hambrouck stressed, adding, “This must end.”
Both Hambrouck and Dujarric called for an immediate and independent investigation into the attack, demanding that “those responsible must be identified and held fully accountable.”
Hambrouck reiterated her urgent plea to all parties involved in the Sudanese conflict to “respect international humanitarian law, protect civilians, [and] ensure safe, unimpeded humanitarian access.”
Dujarric echoed this, calling for “safe, secure operating conditions and for international humanitarian law to be respected by all parties, not just in Sudan, but in all conflict-impacted countries.” He stressed that under international humanitarian law, aid convoys “must be protected, and parties have the obligation to allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need.”