UN food agency demands probe into fatal aerial bombing that hit its office in Sudan

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - The World Food Program (WFP) on Friday demanded a full investigation into the tragic deaths of three of its staff members following an aerial bombing that struck its field office compound in Yabus in Sudan’s Blue Nile state.

In a statement, WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain condemned Thursday’s attack that killed a field office head, program associate and a security guard.

The three were carrying out "life-saving duties on the frontlines of one of the world’s largest hunger crises," McCain said, noting that one of the staff members died instantly, while the other two succumbed to their injuries during transport for medical treatment.
Underscoring the gravity of the situation, she said that humanitarian workers should never be targeted.

"Any loss of life in humanitarian service is unconscionable. Humanitarians are not and must never be a target," she emphasized, pointing to the troubling rise in fatalities among humanitarian workers in 2024.

The WFP has confirmed that all other staff members in Sudan are safe and accounted for.

"WFP remains committed to delivering humanitarian assistance across Sudan, including in Blue Nile State. WFP will stay and deliver vital food and nutrition aid across all locations in Sudan. This is what our fallen colleagues would have wanted. " McCain said.

She said that WFP is urgently investigating the circumstances surrounding the bombing and is calling for the perpetrators to be held accountable.

"I demand a thorough investigation and for the perpetrators to be held accountable," she said. "Our team members’ unnecessary deaths are another reminder of the risks that humanitarian workers face in conflict settings and complex operating environments like Sudan."

She urged world leaders to advocate for the protection of dedicated women and men as they risk their own lives to provide life-saving assistance to others.