A United Nations aid convoy bound for famine-threatened el-Fasher in North Darfur was ambushed in el-Koma, leaving at least four UN personnel dead and two injured. Conflicting reports blame either the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) or Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for the attack on trucks carrying vital supplies to the besieged city—the last army stronghold in the region.
The RSF accused SAF drones of destroying the convoy, releasing footage of charred trucks laden with food sacks. Conversely, Sudan’s government pinned responsibility on RSF paramilitaries, claiming guards and drivers were among the casualties. The attack follows Sunday’s deadly airstrikes in el-Koma that local responders say killed or injured 89 civilians at a bustling market.
UN refugee agency spokesperson Eujin Byun confirmed over four million Sudanese have fled since the 2023 coup-turned-civil-war began. El-Fasher’s 1.5 million residents face imminent famine as fighting blocks aid routes. The violence stems from a shattered alliance between SAF and RSF leaders who jointly derailed Sudan’s democratic transition before turning on each other.
Why It Matters
With el-Fasher’s humanitarian corridor now compromised, international organizations fear worsening starvation and displacement. The el-Koma Emergency Room’s graphic evidence of destroyed supplies underscores relief workers’ perilous conditions. As global attention focuses on Gaza and Ukraine, Sudan’s forgotten crisis claims thousands of lives monthly with no diplomatic resolution in sight.
