afrol News, 18 October - The UN food body, the World Food Programme (WFP) has condemned the killing of its truck drivers who were shot to death while on their way to deliver relief aid in the war-ravaged Darfur region of Sudan.

“WFP is deeply saddened and shocked by the killings of these brave men, who knew the dangers [that] they were facing, but [who] continued to work tirelessly to alleviate suffering and bring food to the hungry in Darfur,” said Kenro Oshidari, the agency’s Sudan representative.

WFP employs 20,000 contract drivers and their assistants in Darfur to help in transporting relief aid to the

need. The motive of the killing is yet to be known and WFP said it does not have any information as to who might have been responsible for the crimes.

The shot drivers worked for the Abbarci trucking company in Darfur, a place where the food agency distributes food to some three million people.

Two of the drivers were believed to be killed on Tuesday while returning to the city of El Obeid in South Darfur state after delivering supplies.

The third driver was killed on 12 October in South Darfur road linking the state capital, Nyala and the Northern Darfur city of El Fasher. At least 25 bags of grain were looted from the truck during the incident.

Earlier, 10 African Union peacekeepers were killed in Darfur.

Darfur has been a centre of increasing insecurity, which targets civilians, aid workers, and peacekeepers. But the UN said it remains “seriously concerned about the safety of civilians throughout Darfur.”

The Darfur conflict, which started in February 2003 [when two groups took up arms to protest against poverty and marginalisation], claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people. About 2.2 million others have been displaced by the fighting between the rebels and government forces and its allied Janjaweed militia.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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