Deadly airstrike hits WFP aid trucks in Sudan's south

Two WFP aid trucks carrying food for the World Food Programme were hit by an airstrike in South Kordofan early Saturday, killing the driver of one vehicle and drawing sharp condemnation from the UN agency. The trucks were clearly marked as humanitarian vehicles and were travelling between the cities of Dilling and Kadugli with food commodities on board, according to the agency.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the agency said it was still gathering details about the circumstances of the attack and the extent of the damage to the food cargo. WFP called for a prompt and impartial investigation into the incident and said those responsible for any violations should be held accountable. The agency extended its deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the driver who died.

The strike came just one day after another WFP truck hit an explosive device in Dilling, after delivering food assistance to the area. "These incidents underscore the increasingly challenging security environment in Sudan and the risks that aid workers face when delivering life-saving assistance to communities in need," the statement said.

South Kordofan has become one of the most dangerous places in the country to move relief supplies. WFP urged all sides in the fighting to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and guarantee safe and unimpeded access for humanitarian personnel and cargo.

The UN agency underlined that it remains committed to delivering life-saving assistance to the millions of people across Sudan who depend on humanitarian support. But the attack raises the question of how much longer aid groups can keep operating in Kordofan when even clearly marked convoys are coming under fire.

A region caught between two armies

The Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been fighting since April 2023, when a power struggle between the two former allies turned into open war. Kordofan sits between the RSF's strongholds in Darfur to the west and the army-held centre of the country to the north and east, which has made the region's roads and towns some of the most contested ground in the conflict.

Fighting there intensified in late 2025, and drones have become a routine part of the battle. Both sides now use them regularly, and attacks on civilian infrastructure in Kordofan have grown more frequent and more deadly, according to monitoring groups. Researchers tracking the war have recorded more than twelve thousand reported fatalities across the region since the fighting began.

The danger reaches far beyond the front lines. Last week, drone strikes hit a displacement shelter and university student housing in El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan. UNICEF reported that a boy was killed and a dozen children wounded at the El Mina El Bari shelter, while the Sudanese Doctors Network said five people were killed and dozens wounded at the University of Kordofan. UNICEF says more than four hundred children were killed or injured across Sudan between January and September 2026, with drone strikes accounting for a significant share.

Aid workers under fire as needs grow

The attack on the WFP aid trucks fits a pattern that has made Sudan one of the hardest places in the world to deliver aid. The agency's own assessments describe a security environment that keeps deteriorating, with convoys, warehouses and aid workers themselves repeatedly caught in the crossfire.

The scale of need is staggering. According to the UN aid coordination office, more than thirty million people in Sudan needed humanitarian assistance last year. The International Rescue Committee warned this month that almost half a million people have already lost access to lifesaving health care, nutrition support, clean water and protection services after American funding for its programmes ended in July, with bridge funding now exhausted.

Aid agencies say the combination is brutal: the places where people are hungriest are the places where trucks are least safe to drive. Until the parties to the conflict honour their commitments under humanitarian law, every delivery into Kordofan remains a gamble, and the people waiting at the end of those roads pay the price.

UN News reported the attack on Sunday, citing the WFP statement, and The Eastleigh Voice also confirmed the details of the strike.

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