DUBAI (Reuters) – Two international aid organizations have reported that their operations have been disrupted due to looting in an area of Sudan where the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have recently advanced in their conflict with the army.
The U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) and medical charity MSF have had to suspend their activities in El Gezira, which could worsen the humanitarian crisis caused by the ongoing war in the region.
The WFP stated that it had to stop the distribution of aid in El Gezira state after a warehouse containing supplies that could feed 1.5 million people for a month was looted.
Meanwhile, MSF reported that armed men attacked their compound in the state capital of Wad Madani, looting vehicles and other items. As a result, they have evacuated their staff to safer areas and suspended all medical activities.
The RSF recently took control of Wad Madani, causing up to 300,000 people to flee the area. This has had a significant impact on the region, which was previously an important agricultural area and aid hub for internally displaced people.
The conflict in Sudan initially began in mid-April over tensions regarding the planned transition from military to civilian rule. The war has resulted in heavy artillery fire and the displacement of over 7 million people, as well as ethnically driven killings in the western region of Darfur.
The international aid organizations are deeply concerned about the worsening situation and limited access to healthcare and essential medicines for people in Wad Madani.
The looting and disruption of aid operations have the potential to further exacerbate the already dire humanitarian crisis in the region.
The capture of Wad Madani by the RSF has significantly affected the region, causing widespread displacement and instability.
The army and the RSF had previously shared power after leader Omar al-Bashir was overthrown in 2019, but tensions escalated into a full-blown conflict.
The situation in Sudan remains extremely fragile, with millions of people at risk of hunger and limited access to essential services such as healthcare.
(Reporting by Jana Choukeir and Khalid Abdelaziz; Writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Alistair Bell)
