Local accusations against the Sudanese army of targeting a UN aid truck coincided with mounting international warnings about deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the Kordofan region, as fears grow that relief supplies are being blocked from reaching war-affected areas, with UN warnings that the city of Al-Obeid may be on the verge of a fresh humanitarian catastrophe.
The latest of these developments came after the United Nations announced the destruction of a truck contracted to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) that was transporting humanitarian aid to South Kordofan state.
According to the Office of the UN Secretary-General's Spokesperson, the truck was destroyed near the Tandalti area, resulting in the loss of 50 metric tonnes of relief supplies, including food, blankets, water containers, and household essentials intended for those most affected by the conflict.
UN Secretary-General's Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the destruction of the convoy meant thousands of people would be deprived of urgently needed humanitarian assistance. He expressed the UN's concern over escalating violence and widening humanitarian needs, renewing calls on the parties to the conflict to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure and ensure aid access, as well as urging donor countries to increase funding to address the growing needs.
Accusations against the army
While no statement was issued by the Sudanese army regarding the incident, media reports citing local sources and activists in Kordofan said the truck was struck by a drone belonging to the Sudanese army while en route to the city of Abu Jibeha in South Kordofan state.
The incident comes against a backdrop of repeated warnings about the targeting of humanitarian infrastructure during the war. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs had previously confirmed that attacks on roads, bridges, and civilian facilities were impeding the delivery of aid to affected areas. The United States had also condemned, in June, the bombing of the Ardamata bridge in West Darfur state — one of the most important aid transit routes to Darfur and Kordofan. Washington said that targeting the bridge threatened the delivery of humanitarian supplies to millions of Sudanese, and called on the parties to the conflict to accept a humanitarian ceasefire to allow aid through, stressing that there is no military solution to the war.
Humanitarian catastrophe
The destruction of the aid truck came simultaneously with a strongly worded warning from UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, who told the Human Rights Council in Geneva: