Panafrican News Agency

Sudan reassures WFP no more looting of storehouses in Darfur

Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - The Sudanese government on Thursday reassured the World Food Programme (WFP) there would be no repeat looting or attacks on its properties and food stocks in Darfur.

Eddie Rowe, the new WFP Country Director, was given the assurance when he called on Sudanese leader Lieutenant General Abdul Fatah Al Burhan.

Al-Burhan was quoted as reassuring his “government commitment to facilitate the activities of humanitarian agencies in the country and to remove any obstacles facing them, securing the safety of the workers, particularly in Darfur region”.

Rowe was quoted in a statement by the republican palace as saying the meeting with Burhan focused on the overall security situation in Al Fashir, capital of North Darfur state, and the attacks against WFP warehouses and looting of its food stores.

The attacks which took place in mid-January, this year, prompted a visit by a multi-agency team including leading UN agencies to the region to get a first hand feeler of the situation and hold meeting with officials there.

UN officials from UNICEF, WFP, UNHCR and OCHA denounced in a statement following the field visit to Darfur 16-17 January, the attacks on UN operations that occurred over the last few weeks.

“These acts of violence constitute a direct attack on the most vulnerable people in Sudan, who have unjustly been robbed of food assistance they so desperately need.

"The looting forced the World Food Programme to suspend its operations in North Darfur late last year,” The team said in a statement following the assessment visit to Darfur.

After assessing the destruction of WFP warehouses, the Heads of UN Agencies met with authorities, including State and Regional Governors, commanders of the Sudan Police and Armed Forces, and the State Humanitarian Aid Commissioner.

The UN representatives were encouraged to see ongoing recovery of looted food and assets and the commitment by the State and Darfur Governors to investigate “with concrete conclusions, which identify perpetrators and bring them to justice in order to feel the full force of the law”.

Since November, a significant increase in insecurity across the region has been observed, posing a threat to aid operations and puts already vulnerable communities at risk of not getting the support they need.

“Without the rule of law, basic levels of government control and credible security forces, it becomes difficult for humanitarian operations to carry out their critical functions, providing food, health, education and other humanitarian assistance,” the team complained then.

During Thursday’s meeting with Burhan, the republican palace said in a statement that the two sides discussed the steps taken and measures adopted to provide security and safety for the programme, workers as well as all workers in the humanitarian domains operating in the Sudan.

The statement quoted Rowe as saying he was reassured about the steps and measures taken to retrieve stolen properties and make sure the perpetrators were held accountable.

He said the programme hoped to continue providing assistance for the vulnerable people in the region in close cooperation with the local authorities in Darfur.

The WFP said in 2022 an estimated 9.8 million people in Sudan face acute food insecurity according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification – the highest figure in the history of IPC in the country.

-0-PANA MO/RA 3Feb2022