UN chief condemns killing of 3 World Food Programme employees in Sudan

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on April 16 strongly condemned the killing of three World Food Programme (WFP) employees amid clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and called for swift justice for those involved.

“The ongoing clashes in Sudan have resulted in the deaths & injuries of civilians, including 3 of our @WFP colleagues killed while carrying out their work,” Guterres said on Twitter, Anadolu reports.

“Those responsible should be brought to justice without delay. Humanitarian workers are #NotATarget,” he added.

WFP has suspended relief operations in Sudan after three employees were killed and two injured in clashes in Kabkabiya in North Darfur on Saturday.

“I am appalled and heartbroken by the tragic deaths of three WFP employees on Saturday in violence in Kabkabiya, North Darfur while carrying out their life-saving duties on the front lines of the global hunger crisis,” WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain said in a statement.

“WFP is committed to assisting the Sudanese people facing dire food insecurity, but we cannot do our life-saving work if the safety and security of our teams and partners is not guaranteed,” she added.

Armed clashes erupted Saturday morning in Sudan's capital Khartoum and its surrounding cities between the army and RSF fighters.

At least 56 people have been killed and hundreds injured in the fighting, according to local medics.

The dispute between the two sides came to the surface Thursday when the army said recent movements by the RSF had occurred without coordination and were illegal, with their rift centering around a proposed transition to civilian rule.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency in a move decried by political forces as a “coup.”

Last December, Sudan’s military and political forces signed a framework agreement to resolve the months-long crisis.

The signing of the final agreement was scheduled to take place on April 6 but was delayed. No date has been announced for the signing of the deal.

Sudan’s transitional period, which started in August 2019, was scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.