MWE Correspondent
A convoy of trucks carrying desperately needed food to famine-hit communities in North Darfur has been destroyed in a drone strike, the United Nations confirmed on Thursday.
The attack, which happened near the town of Al-Melit, wiped out 16 trucks loaded with essential supplies. According to UN spokesperson Daniela Gross, all the drivers and humanitarian staff survived the strike, but at least three trucks were set ablaze, leaving a trail of destruction and despair.
This incident is the second major assault on humanitarian operations in North Darfur in just three months. In June, five aid workers were killed in an ambush while waiting for clearance to move toward El-Fasher, the regional capital. Aid agencies fear that repeated attacks are making it nearly impossible to deliver food to millions already facing extreme hunger.
The blame game has deepened Sudan’s divisions. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) accused the national army of carrying out the drone strike, saying it was aimed at terrorizing civilians. The army rejected the allegation, calling it a fabrication and accusing the RSF of staging atrocities to mislead the public.
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Beyond the politics, the humanitarian cost is staggering. The Sudanese civil war, which erupted in April 2023, has displaced nearly 13 million people and pushed about 25 million into acute hunger. According to UN agencies, famine is no longer a looming threat but a grim reality in several areas, including the Zamzam displacement camp, where children have been dying from malnutrition at alarming rates.
At least 17 regions across Darfur and neighboring Kordofan are now facing famine conditions. Aid groups say the loss of the convoy means that thousands of families will be left without food in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, around 70 more trucks filled with supplies remain stranded in Nyala, an RSF-controlled city, waiting for guarantees of safe passage before they can move.
“This attack tears away hope from families who have nothing left,” one aid worker said, describing the incident as a deliberate attempt to block relief efforts. The UN has urged all parties to the conflict to respect humanitarian corridors and stop targeting food convoys, stressing that aid must never be used as a weapon of war.
