afrol News, 25 July - The escalating attacks on humanitarian and food convoys in the southern Sudanese region of Darfur has not only become unbecoming, but it also hampers the distribution of food to millions of hungry people in the strife-torn region.

Terrified and worried by the trend, the World Food Programme officials who condemned the attacks, which came at a time the agency is planning to tens of thousands of tons of food in Darfur costing about half a billion dollars.

“In the last two weeks, nine food convoys have been attacked by gunmen across Darfur,” Kenro Oshidari, the WFP representative in Sudan, said. “WFP staff and contractors are being stopped at gunpoint, dragged out of their vehicles and robbed with alarming frequency.”

All abducted WFP aid workers have been released, though some have been hospitalised for sustaining injuries.

Believing that safety of humanitarian workers can only be guaranteed by the parties to the Darfur conflict, Mr Oshidari therefore appealed to them to spare aid workers to continue with their life-saving work.

“These abhorrent attacks, which target the very people who are trying to help the most vulnerable in Darfur, must be brought under control,” he said.

This year alone 18 WFP food convoys have been attacked by gunmen while four of the body’s light vehicles carjacked. Besides, six of the UN humanitarian body’s vehicles, including trucks and light vehicles, have been stolen and 10 staff, including contractors, have either become victim of detention or abduction.

Darfur remains the WFP’s biggest humanitarian operations center in the world where some 790 staff are employed to provide service to the poor and needy. It has been providing food for more than two million people in the region every month.

The food agency also contracts commercial truck companies to haul food into the region.

However, the looming insecurity in the region has led to the WFP’s inability to supply food to at least 170,000 people in June. In fact, the attacks have rendered some roads, specifically the one that linked Nyala, the capital of south Darfur state and the twon of Kass, “no-go” areas for the UN.

Also, food dispatches to the northern Darfur town of Kabkabiya have been affected.

Security personnel of the United Nations raised alarm that attacks on vehicles have become the number one security concern for the aid community in Darfur. In such attacks, staff are being abducted while their vehicles stolen, giving robbers time to get away with goods before the alarm is raised.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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