UN agency WFP temporarily suspends food assistance in parts of war-ravaged Sudan

The United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) has temporarily suspended food assistance in some parts of Sudan’s state of Gezira as fighting spreads south and east of Sudan’s capital Khartoum, the aid agency said in a statement on Wednesday. Around 300,000 people have fled Gezira in a matter of days, since clashes erupted last week on Friday, WFP said. WFP has put food deliveries on hold in some locations in Gezira, said Eddie Rowe, WFP’s representative and country director in Sudan, adding that its teams are working around the clock to provide food aid in locations where it is still possible. Sudan’s army said on Tuesday that its forces had withdrawn from positions in Wad Madani after the advance of its paramilitary rivals on the city triggered a mass exodus of civilians, some already displaced during an eight-month-old war. Troops from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have gained momentum in recent weeks, consolidating their grip on the vast Darfur region and seizing new territory stretching east towards the capital Khartoum. The RSF’s entry into the city has caused up to 300,000 people to flee the area, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Monday. War in Sudan broke out in mid-April after weeks of tensions over the powers of the army and the RSF under a planned transition towards civilian rule. The rivals had shared power with political parties following a 2019 popular uprising before jointly staging a coup in 2021. The conflict turned Khartoum into a war zone, triggered a wave of ethnically driven killings in Darfur, and caused a major humanitarian crisis. The IOM said on Tuesday that more than 7 million people had fled their homes because of the war, including more than 1.5 million who have crossed to neighbouring countries.