United Nations aid convoys have reached the Dilling and Kadugli areas in central Sudan’s Kordofan region, which have been largely cut off from humanitarian assistance for over two years, the UN said Wednesday. The delivery comes amid escalating drone attacks and heavy fighting that have worsened the hunger crisis in the region.
The World Food Program (WFP) transported more than 700 metric tons of food, providing life-saving supplies for nearly 70,000 people, including 21,000 mothers and children with specialized nutrition to prevent malnutrition. UN officials described the regions as having severe shortages of humanitarian aid due to prolonged conflict.
The aid operation coincides with international condemnation of recent drone strikes. Over 30 countries, including the 28 EU member states, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK, expressed “grave concern” over the escalation of attacks, warning that intentional targeting of aid workers and obstruction of relief deliveries may constitute war crimes.
The warning follows a drone strike on al-Safiya market in Sodari, North Kordofan, which killed 28 civilians and injured dozens more. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk reported that at least 57 civilians were killed in separate drone attacks over Sunday and Monday in four Sudanese states. Turk said the attacks targeted markets, hospitals, and schools, allegedly by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The fighting is part of a broader conflict over Sudan’s strategic east-west corridor, linking Darfur through El-Obeid to Khartoum. After consolidating control over Darfur last year, the RSF is attempting to advance through oil- and gold-rich Kordofan to seize the central corridor from army control.
The UN stressed the urgency of sustained humanitarian access to protect civilians from starvation and violence, warning that continued drone warfare is exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Sudan.