The United States and the African Union, as well as the United Nations, have condemned a deadly attack that killed UN aid workers on Tuesday.

In a joint statement from the Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan (ALPS) group members, including the governments of the US, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, the AU, and the UN, the countries termed the attack a “serious violation of international humanitarian law”.

According to the World Food Programme (WFP), at least five aid workers were killed in the ambush on Tuesday while delivering aid to civilians facing starvation in the war-torn Darfur city of el-Fasher.

According to the WFP, the 15-truck convoy was transporting critical humanitarian supplies from Port Sudan to North Darfur when it was attacked overnight in Al Koma, western Sudan, which has been besieged by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for more than a year.

An dated picture of a World Food Programme truck carrying aid from Port Sudan, Sudan.

Photo

Reuters

“Aid convoys must be protected and parties have the obligation to allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need,” the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said in a joint statement on Wednesday.

As details of the incident emerged, the UN’s refugee agency confirmed the number of people who had fled the country since Sudan’s civil war began had surpassed 4 million and warned that the scale of displacement was “putting regional and global stability at stake”.

In response, the US and other governments are now saying, “With the situation in Sudan worsening and humanitarian needs reaching critical levels, the ALPS coalition urgently reiterates that international humanitarian law must be fully respected.”

Adding, “This includes the obligations to protect civilians, including humanitarian personnel. We call on the parties to allow and facilitate humanitarian access to all those in need.”

The perpetrators of the deadly attack are unknown, with both sides, the Sudanese army and the RSF, blaming each other for the attack.

Kenya has been at the centre of a diplomatic row with the government of Sudan over its perceived support of the RSF, which has raised concerns internationally.

Kenya's hosting of the RSF has drawn criticism from the international community, with some believing it will jeopardise efforts to bring about peace in Sudan. Critics claim that Kenya may have violated the principles of neutrality and non-interference by taking sides in the conflict.

In February, Kenya hosted a meeting at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) where the RSF and allied Sudanese political and armed groups signed a political charter to establish a "Government of Peace and Unity" in RSF-controlled areas of Sudan.

Kenya has insisted it is not offering any support to the RSF and is only facilitating peace and dialogue to find a lasting solution for the war that has claimed thousands and displaced millions.

President William Ruto (right) when he held talks with the leader of Rapid Support Forces Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo at State House, Nairobi on January 3, 2023.

PCS