WFP facility in Sudan’s Darfur shelled, U.N. and U.S. condemn RSF
May 30, 2025 (NEW YORY/PORT SUDAN) – A World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse in El Fasher, North Darfur, was hit and damaged by repeated shelling attributed to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Friday, the United Nations said, drawing condemnation from the U.S. and a sharp response from Sudan’s foreign ministry.
“The World Food Programme is shocked and alarmed that its premises in El Fasher were hit and damaged by repeated shelling by the Rapid Support Forces,” U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told reporters at a noon briefing. He confirmed that WFP staff were safe and accounted for.
“Humanitarian staff, their assets, their operations and supplies should never be a target,” Dujarric said, quoting a WFP statement. “This must stop now, especially in places like Sudan, where over three million children are suffering from malnutrition.”
The WFP is attempting to scale up food and nutrition assistance to reach seven million people monthly in Sudan, prioritizing communities facing or at risk of famine. Dujarric stated that famine has been confirmed in 10 locations – eight in North Darfur, including Zamzam Camp, and two in the Western Nuba Mountains. An additional 17 areas, including parts of Darfur, the Nuba Mountains, Khartoum, and Gezira, are at risk of famine, he added, reiterating that “the only way forward is an immediate end to hostilities.”
The United States strongly condemned the attack. “The United States condemns the RSF’s reported bombing of a WFP facility in Darfur,” the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs posted on X. “We call for an end to indiscriminate bombings in civilian areas, and reiterate the need for the protection of civilians and unfettered humanitarian access.”
Massad Boulos, U.S. Senior Advisor for Africa, echoed these concerns on X, stating, “We are closely monitoring developments in Darfur and are deeply concerned by the RSF’s bombing of a WFP facility. Safe, sustained humanitarian access is critical, and violations that endanger civilians and relief efforts demand serious attention.”
Sudan’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the attack on the WFP facility in El Fasher, blaming the RSF and its international support. In a statement, the ministry asserted that “the regional backer of the terrorist militia bears responsibility for these crimes, serving as the source of the strategic drones used in the attacks and funding the mercenaries who form the militia’s core, including those operating the drones.”
The Sudanese ministry further stated that “Western powers allied with the militia’s sponsor also carry significant responsibility due to the protection they offer in international forums and their leniency regarding the militia’s crimes.”