'Appalled and heartbroken': UN's food agency suspends work in Sudan after staff killed in clashes

Khartoum: Two days after Sudan’s military unleashed airstrikes on a paramilitary base near the capital city of Khartoum, the UN food agency suspended operations in the country as three of its staff were killed in the restive Darfur region.

Cindy McCain, executive director of the World Food Programme, said in a statement, “I am appalled and heartbroken by the tragic deaths of three WFP employees on Saturday 15 April in violence in Kabkabiya, North Darfur while carrying out their life-saving duties on the front lines of the global hunger crisis.”

The conflict between the country’s military and paramilitary forces has killed as many as 59 people and injured over 600.

“While we review the evolving security situation, we are forced to temporarily halt all operations in Sudan,” McCain added.

She further said, “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 are not guaranteed.”

The clash between the RSF and the military forced the former to seize the presidential palace, army chief’s residence, state television station and airports in Khartoum, the northern city of Merowe, El Fasher and West Darfur state. Apart from killing 59, around 600 people were also left heavily wounded.

The Sudanese air force told people to stay indoors while it conducted what it called an aerial survey of RSF activity, and a holiday was declared in Khartoum state for Sunday, closing schools, banks and government offices.

According to reports, sustained firing broke out at one of its bases in the Sudanese capital on Saturday morning and the sound could be heard in a number of areas, including central Khartoum and neighboring Bahri.

With inputs from agencies

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