UN Aid Convoy Ambushed Near El Fasher Amid Escalating Sudan Conflict

 El Fasher, Sudan — In a grave escalation of violence amid Sudan's ongoing civil war, a United Nations aid convoy carrying life-saving food supplies was attacked en route to the famine-threatened city of El Fasher, resulting in five deaths and several injuries. The targeted convoy, comprising trucks from the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF, was struck while stationed in Al Koma, a region under the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), approximately 75 kilometers from El Fasher in North Darfur.

According to UN officials, the trucks were awaiting clearance to proceed when the assault occurred. The UN agencies have jointly called for an immediate and transparent investigation into the deadly ambush. The identities of the perpetrators remain unconfirmed, with both the Sudanese Armed Forces and RSF trading blame.

The attack comes as humanitarian agencies warn of a rapidly worsening crisis. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that the number of people fleeing Sudan since the outbreak of war in 2023 has now exceeded 4 million, while 11.6 million people are displaced internally—nearly half of them in the Darfur region.

A video posted by the Al-Koma Emergency Room, a local volunteer group, showed a burned-out aid truck, alleging it was hit by Sudanese army drone strikes. The same area reportedly witnessed a deadly airstrike over the weekend on a civilian market, allegedly conducted by the Sudanese military, killing at least 89 people.

El Fasher, home to over 2 million civilians, including 800,000 internally displaced persons, is the only remaining Darfur state capital not under RSF control. The city is currently under intense siege, with daily shelling and a complete breakdown of humanitarian access routes. Last week, the WFP confirmed that its own facilities in El Fasher were shelled multiple times by RSF forces.

Local activists and aid volunteers warn that the city is teetering on the brink of famine, with markets depleted of essential food and medicine. Speaking to the global advocacy network Avaaz, a local volunteer named Adam described dire conditions in the city. “Community kitchens no longer have access to maize or wheat. Only a handful of donkeys—about ten per day—are able to carry in limited supplies, and even those are stopped and interrogated at RSF checkpoints,” he said.

The conflict, now in its third year, has been widely condemned by international observers. Both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF face serious allegations of war crimes, including the deliberate use of starvation as a weapon of war.

As humanitarian access deteriorates and hostilities intensify, the situation in Sudan is now described by UN officials as the world’s largest displacement crisis and a growing threat to regional and global stability.