In a rare and strongly worded statement released Friday, 30 donors, including the European Commission, condemned attacks on civilians, particularly the brutal attack on a humanitarian convoy in Sudan's North Darfur State earlier this week. Five humanitarian workers were killed, and several others were injured in the assault. At least four of the fifteen trucks in the convoy were destroyed, and five more vehicles were partially damaged.
On Monday night, the convoy of trucks from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) was attacked in Al Koma. The convoy was carrying approximately 100 metric tons of essential supplies, including nutrition, health, education, and WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) materials, to support children and families in the town of El Fasher.
The convoy had traveled over 1,800 km from Port Sudan in the east of the country to reach children and families in the famine-affected El Fasher region with life-saving food and nutrition supplies. The UN agencies were negotiating access to complete the journey to El Fasher when the convoy was attacked.
This deliberate attack also constitutes an assault on the millions of people in Sudan who depend on timely aid deliveries for their survival. Following months of escalating violence, hundreds of thousands of people in El Fasher — many of them children — are at high risk of malnutrition and starvation if supplies do not reach them urgently.
The attack not only claimed lives but also destroyed critical food assistance intended for communities teetering on the edge of famine, particularly in El Fasher. The town has been under siege for over a year, forcing families to endure hunger, starvation, displacement, and unimaginable hardship.
Ten locations in Sudan have been declared famine zones: eight in North Darfur State, including Zamzam Camp, and two in the Western Nuba Mountains. Seventeen other areas, including parts of Darfur, the Nuba Mountains, Khartoum, and Al-Gezira, are at risk of famine.
WFP is doing as much as the situation allows to provide food and nutritional assistance to seven million people per month, prioritizing communities facing famine or at high risk of it.
In their statement, the donors categorically denounce the deliberate targeting of humanitarian personnel, arguing that it is a clear violation of international law.
"Civilians and humanitarian workers must not be targeted by parties to the armed conflict," the statement reads.
"We urge all parties to allow civilians to safely exit areas with ongoing hostilities and to guarantee immediate, unconditional, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access to deliver assistance to those in urgent need throughout Sudan."
On April 15, 2023, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) started a brutal war that has caused an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. More than 30 million people, including over 16 million children, require urgent assistance in what is the world's largest humanitarian emergency.
On Friday, the donors specifically addressed the responsibility of the SAF, the RSF paramilitary, and affiliated militias. They reiterated their calls on these parties to immediately cease hostilities and fulfill their obligations under international humanitarian law.
“Once again, we stress the civilian character of humanitarian agencies, the neutral and impartial nature of their life-saving operations, and the need for them to operate across all of Sudan, regardless of area of control,” the statement said.
Monday’s attack was the latest in a series of deadly assaults on civilians and humanitarian workers since the war began more than two years ago. The international community has expressed growing alarm over the relentless violence targeting aid workers and infrastructure.
In April, attacks on the Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps for displaced people resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians and at least 12 aid workers and forced more than 400,000 people to flee. The assault was reportedly carried out by armed groups affiliated with the RSF.
Only days ago, a hospital in El Obeid, North Kordofan State, was attacked, and several offices of the United Nations and non-governmental organizations across the country have been hit in recent months. Among these was WFP’s office in El Fasher, a key humanitarian hub, which was damaged in an attack last week. Most of these attacks were reportedly carried out by the Rapid Support Forces.
Just hours after the interim Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Kristine Hambrouck, expressed alarm over the recent wave of attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, Monday’s attack occurred.
“These are just some of the many attacks over the past two years targeting civilians, aid workers and facilities, hospitals, and critical civilian infrastructure, which constitute direct violations of international humanitarian law,” the donors’ statement notes.
“We deplore all loss of civilian life resulting from acts of war throughout this conflict. The continuous attacks on humanitarian aid workers cannot be normalized.”
The statement echoed the call of UN Secretary-General AntĂłnio Guterres for an independent investigation into the attack in North Darfur and for those responsible to be held accountable swiftly.
Tom Fletcher, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, described the assault as "appalling," stressing the need for accountability and protection for humanitarian workers. Fletcher expressed his full support for the "courageous" WFP and UNICEF staff who carry out vital work in tough conditions.
WFP and UNICEF also condemned the attack near Al Koma. According to the UN agencies, they shared the route in advance and notified the parties on the ground of the location of the trucks. Under international humanitarian law, aid convoys must be protected.
Humanitarian Coordinator Hambrouck has also called for an immediate and independent investigation. Many humanitarian organizations have strongly condemned the attack.
The international community is urging immediate action to ensure the safety of humanitarian workers and civilians in Sudan. They are calling for a cessation of hostilities and an unwavering commitment to protecting those trying to alleviate suffering amidst an escalating and brutal conflict.
As a result of the war, Sudan is facing the world's largest hunger crisis. Across the country, approximately 25 million people — nearly half the population — are experiencing acute hunger. Nearly 5 million children and lactating mothers are acutely malnourished. Sudan is the only place in the world where famine has been confirmed in multiple areas, and it continues to spread.
Additionally, Sudan is experiencing the world's largest displacement crisis. Since the war began in April 2023, over 13 million people have been forced to flee their homes. More than 4 million of those people have crossed into neighboring countries, including Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic.
In recent months, more than a million internally displaced people (IDPs) were able to return to their areas of origin, reducing the overall displacement figure to under 13 million since the start of the war. However, more and more people continue to seek refuge across borders.
On Tuesday, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) again sounded the alarm over the deepening humanitarian crisis in eastern Chad, where the number of Sudanese refugees has more than tripled in just over two years. Since April 2023, over 844,000 Sudanese refugees have crossed into Chad.
Prior to this latest crisis, Chad was already hosting over 400,000 Sudanese refugees who had fled earlier conflicts in Darfur between 2003 and 2023. In just two years, the country has seen the size of its refugee population surge to over 1.2 million, far exceeding the number received during the previous two decades, which puts unsustainable pressure on Chad’s ability to respond.
According to estimates, the ongoing war in Sudan has claimed more than 150,000 lives, and the country’s health system is collapsing while diseases are spreading. As of April 2025, the war-torn nation has reported nearly 60,000 cholera cases, resulting in over 1,640 deaths.
Meanwhile, the funding gap needed to address the enormous humanitarian crisis within the country remains staggering. The Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) seeks US$4.16 billion to provide life-saving assistance to 21 million of the most vulnerable people. However, to date, the HRP has only received 14 percent of the necessary funding.
The 2025 Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP) requires $1.8 billion to support 4.8 million people, including refugees, returnees, and host communities in the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan, and Uganda. As of June, only 13 percent of the necessary funds had been raised for the RRP.
Further information
Full text: Joint donor statement condemning attacks against civilians and humanitarian workers in Sudan by 30 donors, European Commission, Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), published June 6, 2025
https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/news-stories/news/joint-donor-statement-condemning-attacks-against-civilians-and-humanitarian-workers-sudan-30-donors-2025-06-06_en