Nairobi, Dec. 29, (dpa/GNA) – Fighters with the Sudanese militia group RSF looted a warehouse used by the World Food Programme (WFP) in the conflict-torn nation, the UN agency said.
The supplies stolen last weekend in the warehouse in hard-hit al-Jazirah state could have fed nearly 1.5 million people with grains, oil and legumes for a month, it said.
In addition, special rations for the care of around 20,000 malnourished children and nursing mothers were plundered by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
“Sudanese people who are already desperate and fleeing the fighting have now been robbed of the critical assistance they need. This is intolerable and must stop,” said Michael Dunford, WFP regional director for East Africa, in a statement late Thursday.
“In areas under their control, the Rapid Support Forces must guarantee the protection of humanitarian assistance, staff and premises.”
The RSF is a quasi-army that emerged from militias in the Darfur region and is led by Mohammed Hamdan Daglo. The group has been accused of looting, mass killings, rape and ethnic cleansing since Sudan’s latest war erupted in April.
In the ongoing power struggle, the RSF is fighting against the forces of the Sudanese de facto ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
The RSF was recently able to advance against the Sudanese army in al-Jazirah state, which is considered the country’s breadbasket.