WFP driver killed in air strike on aid trucks in Sudan’s South Kordofan
October 4, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – An air strike on two contracted trucks carrying humanitarian food aid killed a driver in Sudan’s South Kordofan state early on Saturday, the United Nations World Food Programme said, in the latest attack against relief operations in the war-torn country.
The U.N. agency condemned the attack, stating that the contracted vehicles were clearly marked as humanitarian transport and were travelling along a key supply route between Dilling and the state capital of Kadugli when they were struck.
WFP said it was still gathering details regarding the circumstances of the incident and assessing the extent of damage to the food cargo.
The strike represents the ninth documented attack against WFP operations in Sudan since the start of the year. The previous incident occurred on August 30 near Dilling, where shelling destroyed 50 metric tonnes of emergency food assistance.
The agency called for a prompt and impartial investigation into the attack and urged accountability for those responsible for violations of international law.
Saturday’s air strike occurred just a day after another WFP vehicle struck an explosive device near Dilling shortly after delivering emergency food rations to displaced communities.
WFP provides food assistance to around 58,000 residents and displaced people facing emergency levels of acute hunger in Kadugli, where supply corridors have repeatedly been severed by ground fighting and aerial bombardments.
Relief operations across Sudan continue to face severe operational bottlenecks and security threats even as an estimated 33.7 million people, including 17.3 million children, require urgent humanitarian assistance this year. Aid agencies have warned that approximately 825,000 children are currently at risk of severe acute malnutrition.
The agency reiterated its appeal to all parties involved in the hostilities to adhere to international humanitarian law, protect civilians and critical civilian infrastructure, and allow safe, unimpeded access for relief convoys and humanitarian personnel.
Humanitarian logistics across the broader Kordofan region have been heavily disrupted by conflict between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. On September 16, Saudi Arabia submitted a formal complaint to the U.N. Security Council accusing the RSF of shelling humanitarian aid supplies near El Obeid in North Kordofan in mid-August.