Accusations fly after aid convoy destroyed in North Darfur
June 3, 2025 (AL-KOMA) – The government of North Darfur and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Tuesday exchanged accusations over an attack on an aid convoy belonging to the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF, which resulted in several trucks being set ablaze.
Ibrahim Khater, Director General of the Ministry of Health in North Darfur state, told Sudan Tribune that RSF militia members set fire to trucks carrying aid supplies in Al-Koma city. He indicated that the fire was a reaction to the army targeting RSF military gatherings in the town last Saturday.
Khater denied accusations that the Sudanese army was involved in the incident. “The army has no interest in burning aid or targeting humanitarian convoys. What happened is a crime committed by the militia to choke the residents of El Fasher,” he said.
He stated that the greater part of the convoy was en route to El Fasher, but the RSF had seized the trucks for more than 10 days, preventing them from departing for the North Darfur capital.
Government Condemnation
The Sudanese government condemned the incident, describing it as a deliberate attempt to obstruct humanitarian teams and hinder their mission of delivering aid to besieged citizens in El Fasher city and displacement camps.
A statement from the government spokesperson’s office on Tuesday said the “criminal” attacks resulted in the destruction of several United Nations trucks, the death of a number of guards, drivers and citizens, as well as injuries to other protection personnel accompanying the convoy.
The government affirmed that the assault is a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and a direct and deliberate undermining of efforts by the government in cooperation with the U.N. and international organizations to deliver urgent humanitarian aid to civilians in need and affected by the war.
“While the government rejects this criminal act committed by the militia, it reiterates its full cooperation with the United Nations and humanitarian organizations to continue efforts aimed at delivering aid to its citizens in areas besieged by the militia,” the statement read.
The WFP announced on May 14 that one of its convoys was en route from Al-Debba in the Northern State to El Fasher, carrying food and nutritional supplies. The program emphasized at the time that the aid must arrive safely, as it represents vital needs for people facing the risk of famine.
Army accused
Separately, a statement issued by the Sudanese Agency for Relief and Humanitarian Operations (SARHO), the humanitarian arm of the RSF, accused the Sudanese army’s warplanes of targeting an aid convoy in Al-Koma city.
The attack, according to preliminary statistics provided by the RSF, resulted in the death of five WFP employees, injuries to four others, and the destruction of nine trucks.
The statement clarified that the assault is an extension of grave and systematic violations that directly target humanitarian workers and aid delivery mechanisms, which it called a blatant breach of international humanitarian law and the principles of neutrality, independence, and impartiality on which humanitarian work is based.
It warned that the continued targeting of convoys and relief teams would lead to further deterioration of humanitarian conditions and expose millions in need to the risk of famine, disease and forced isolation from essential services.
Looting and misinformation
For his part, Darfur regional governor Minni Arko Minawi accused the RSF of targeting the WFP humanitarian convoy. He said the incident occurred after convoy officials refused to change its direction or unload aid, insisting on the convoy’s destination to El Fasher.
“As a result, a number of aid workers were killed, and the militia proceeded with looting and emptying the trucks that survived the fire, exploiting the army’s strikes on their forces there to mislead the world that the army shelled the convoy,” Minawi said in a Facebook post.
He described the incident as an “unacceptable and condemned terrorist” act, which he said confirmed that the “militia” was pursuing genocide through various means.
He added: “The convoy travelled thousands of kilometres to rescue the residents of El Fasher who have been besieged for more than a year, and this was preceded by targeting WFP warehouses days ago in El Fasher so that there would be no sites to store materials.”
Minawi accused some WFP employees of working with a state sponsoring the militia to obstruct aid, noting that they had previously been expelled from Sudan and are now working on the Sudan file from Nairobi and from within.
Sudan Tribune could not immediately obtain a comment from the World Food Programme about the incident.
However, a UNICEF spokesperson told Reuters on Tuesday that a U.N. convoy carrying food aid to El Fasher was attacked overnight. She added that initial reports indicated “a number of casualties.”
“We received information that a convoy of WFP and UNICEF trucks was attacked last night, during its stop in Al-Koma in North Darfur, awaiting approval to proceed to El Fasher,” the spokesperson said. She did not accuse anyone of responsibility for the attack.
The WFP has been trying to deliver food and medical supplies to the residents of El Fasher, which has been under a suffocating siege by the RSF since April 2024. The siege and ongoing armed clashes within the North Darfur capital have created a significant humanitarian crisis due to the lack of food and medicine.