AFP , Sunday 16 Apr 2023

The UN’s food agency on Sunday said it was suspending work in Sudan after three staff were killed in the restive Darfur region, as fighting raged between the army and paramilitaries.

File Photo: World Food Program WFP. AFP

“I am appalled and heartbroken by the tragic deaths of three WFP employees on Saturday 15 April in violence in Kabkabiya, North Darfur while carrying out their life saving duties on the front lines of the global hunger crisis,” Cindy McCain, executive director of the World Food Programme, said in a statement.

“While we review the evolving security situation, we are forced to temporarily halt all operations in Sudan,” she said.

“WFP is committed to assisting the Sudanese people facing dire food insecurity, but we cannot do our life-saving work if the safety and security of our teams and partners is not guaranteed,” she said.

“All parties must come to an agreement that ensures the safety of humanitarian workers on the ground and enables the continued delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to the people of Sudan. They remain our top priority.

This article was originally published by Agence France-Presse (AFP).