The United States has strongly condemned a drone attack targeting a World Food Programme (WFP) truck delivering humanitarian aid to displaced civilians in Sudan’s Darfur region.
The incident marks the sixth assault on WFP operations in the country this year, raising alarm over the escalating risks faced by aid agencies responding to widespread hunger and conflict.
In a statement issued by Massad Boulos, the U.S. Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs, Washington criticised the continued attacks on humanitarian assets and accused both parties in Sudan’s ongoing conflict of weaponising hunger.
“The United States condemns the drone attack on a UN World Food Programme truck carrying life-saving food to displaced persons in Darfur fleeing atrocities and famine,” Boulos said.
“This is the sixth attack on WFP aid in Sudan this year. Both parties to the conflict have used denial of food to the starving as a tactic of war.”
Boulos emphasised that humanitarian workers and relief supplies must never be targeted, calling the attack a violation of international humanitarian law.
He urged all actors involved in the conflict to halt military operations that obstruct or endanger life-saving assistance.
“Humanitarian staff and assets must never be a target. The United States calls on Sudan’s warring parties to cease hostilities and allow unhindered humanitarian access,” he added.
The attack comes amid worsening humanitarian conditions in Sudan, where millions have been displaced by fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Aid agencies have repeatedly warned that blockades, looting, and targeted violence against humanitarian convoys are exacerbating famine-like conditions, particularly in Darfur and Khartoum State.
According to the UN, restricted access and repeated attacks have severely undermined humanitarian operations, leaving many communities without regular food supplies.
The WFP has previously reported that its warehouses, vehicles, and staff have been targeted, forcing temporary suspension of some relief missions.
The U.S. government has continued to call for a negotiated ceasefire and the protection of civilians, warning that deliberate obstruction of aid could constitute war crimes under international law.
As humanitarian needs surge, global pressure is mounting on both sides of Sudan’s conflict to open secure corridors for relief organizations and to stop using food scarcity as leverage in military operations.
