Gunmen Attack UN Food Aid Boats in Southern Sudan

The boats were traveling on the Sobat River, a tributary of the White Nile, on their way south to the town of Akobo with a 735-ton cargo of sorghum and other food aid for refugees who had fled the violence in Southern Sudan.

The Sobat River winds across Southern Sudan. (Photo credit unknown)

According to local media reports, about 40 Southern Sudanese soldiers were killed in the attack near the town of Nasir, close to Ethiopia, and dozens more were wounded. The soldiers were serving as escorts for the food aid convoy.

WFP's Sudan Country Director, Kenro Oshidari, warned that a recent increase in inter-tribal fighting in Southern Sudan "could derail recovery and rebuilding efforts that we are supporting."

"The attack on the boats carrying WFP food meant for 19,000 internally displaced people in Akobo County is a major blow to our operation," said Oshidari.

The boats were on their way from Nasir to Akobo, after having been blockaded in Nasir since May until south Sudanese government officials negotiated their departure on Friday, according to a report Monday in the "Sudan Tribune."

The newspaper reported that the attackers were civilian fighters of the Jikany Nuer group, motivated by a desire to keep supplies out of the hands of Lou Nuer groups, whose raiders were accused of killing Jikany Nuer villagers in May.

WFP Sudan Country Director, Kenro Oshidari (Photo courtesy WFP)

Because the washed-out roads to Akobo, in Jonglei state, are impassable this time of year, the food must be delivered by river. Nasir has traditionally served as a WFP relief distribution point for such operations.

Michelle Iseminger, the head of the WFP program in the Southern Sudanese capital of Juba, said that 16 boats have returned to Nasir, "all without the food they were carrying."

The UN has reports that four or five of the other boats have sunk. The fate of the others is unknown. No food has reached Akobo by boat.

World Food Programme shipped a 15-day food ration for about 16,000 people in Akobo in April, and Iseminger noted that the blocking of the northern route, via the Sobat River, not only obstructs humanitarian aid but also prevents commercial trade from reaching the area.

On Saturday, WFP resorted to airlifting food but the amount required is in the hundreds of tons and "the Buffalo planes we use can only carry five tons on each trip," said Iseminger.

Internally displaced persons in Southern Sudan rely on UN food aid. (Photo courtesy WFP)

WFP, along with the UN Mission in Sudan and the Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs, is negotiating with the government of Sudan for secure humanitarian access along the Sobat River, the only effective way to deliver large quantities of food aid.

In early March, Sudanese officials in Khartoum kicked out 13 international NGOs and revoked the permits of three local groups providing emergency relief assistance in Darfur after the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for President Omar Al-Bashir for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the region.

Addressing the UN Security Council in New York on Thursday, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes said that the UN continues to believe that the ejections "were wrong and unjustified" and also regrets "the increased dangers created for hundreds of thousands of people in need in Darfur and elsewhere."

Holmes, who is also UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, visited the area in May. He said the Government of Sudan had signaled that assistance from international NGOs is both welcome and valued.

The government had reaffirmed agreements and guaranteed multiple entry visas for all nongovernmental organization workers, said Holmes. With some new nongovernmental organizations now allowed to enter, four of the expelled aid organizations have returned under new names and logos.

But regarding Southern Sudan, Holmes told the Council that he was shocked at both the "unprecedently destructive" violence and high humanitarian toll of the tribal violence in Jonglei state.

He said the safety and security of humanitarian staff has become increasing perilous over the past 18 months, including two "very disturbing" kidnappings and an attack on a helicopter in the wake of the NGO expulsions.

The day after Holmes briefed the Security Council, the UN boats on the Sobat River were attacked.

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