Sudanese Gunmen Loot UN Food Aid Warehouse in North Darfur – The Media Line

Sudanese gunmen looted a United Nations World Food Program warehouse in El Fashar, capital of Sudan’s northern Darfur state. The gunmen stole more than 1,900 metric tons of food items that were to be used to feed 730,000 people for a month on Tuesday night, the UN secretary-general said in a statement.

The statement also said, “Secretary-General Al Fashar strongly condemns the continued looting and attacks against UN facilities, equipment and supplies gifted to Sudanese authorities for civilian use in Darfur.” It called on the government of Sudan to “restore order, and ensure that former property and assets and the former UN-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur, UNAMID, are employed strictly for civilian use in line with the Framework Agreement.” The government signed with the United Nations in March this year.”

The United Nations and the African Union mission, UNAMID, ended its peacekeeping campaign that began 13 years ago last December, after signing a peace deal with some rebel groups. There has been unrest in the region in recent months due to fighting between cattle ranchers over land and water resources. At the same time, Sudan faced a military coup in October.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, more than 14 million people in Sudan will need humanitarian aid next year.