Who is behind the attack on Sudan's humanitarian convoy?

Sudanese officials and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Tuesday, June 3, exchanged blame over an attack on a humanitarian convoy operated by the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF in Al-Koma, North Darfur.

According to Sudan Tribune, Ibrahim Khater, Director General of the North Darfur Ministry of Health, said the RSF forces set fire to trucks carrying aid.

"The army has no interest in burning aid or targeting humanitarian convoys. What happened is a crime committed by the militia to choke the residents of El Fasher,” Khater said.

He added that the RSF had blocked the convoy for over 10 days before the attack.

In contrast, the RSF’s humanitarian wing, the Sudanese Agency for Relief and Humanitarian Operations (SARHO), blamed the Sudanese army, accusing it of bombing the convoy with warplanes where the strike killed five WFP workers, injured four others, and destroyed nine trucks.

The RSF called the attack “a blatant breach of international humanitarian law,” claiming it reflects a broader pattern of targeting aid workers.

Darfur regional governor Minni Arko Minawi also blamed the RSF. He said the attack came after convoy officials refused to change course or offload supplies.

“As a result, a number of aid workers were killed, and the militia looted the remaining trucks,” Minawi said. He called the attack a “terrorist act” and accused the RSF of using the army’s strikes as cover to deflect blame.

The Sudanese government in a statement condemned the incident, calling it a deliberate obstruction of humanitarian operations.