Embassies condemn attack on WFP food convoy in Upper Nile

A group of foreign embassies and the European Union has condemned an attack on a World Food Programme convoy in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State.

In a joint statement issued Friday, the embassies of Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States, together with the Delegation of the European Union, denounced the “recent attack and looting of twelve World Food Programme boats.”

The convoy was carrying over 1,500 metric tons of food.

The supplies were intended for 73,000 people in need.

The diplomats urged the transitional government to act quickly.

They called for “prompt actions to recover the food as well as other resources stolen from implementers that were aboard the boats.”

The statement stressed that donor funding must reach people in crisis.

The countries said their taxpayers’ support for humanitarian assistance in South Sudan should achieve the “greatest possible life-saving impact.”

The embassies described the incident in strong terms.

“Attacks on humanitarian and medical facilities are entirely unacceptable,” the statement said.

They also appealed directly to South Sudan’s leadership.

The call was for leaders “of all parties and at all levels” to create conditions that ensure the “unhindered delivery of assistance” to people facing famine, malnutrition, and conflict-driven displacement.

WFP responds to emergencies while also providing early warning to reduce the impact of looming disasters.

At the same time, they support countries' rising from the shadow of hunger and long-term development and self-reliance.

WFP also works to enhance nutrition in women and children, support smallholder farmers in improving productivity and reducing losses, help countries and communities prepare for and cope with climate-related shocks, and boost human capital through school feeding programmes.

In conflict situations, they bring relief to exhausted populations and use food assistance to build pathways to peace and stability.

WFP works with governments, other United Nations agencies, non-governmental organisations, private companies and others to mobilise resources, find innovative solutions and reach vulnerable communities with the assistance they need.