Gov’t told to account for looted items in Upper Nile attacks on WFP

JUBA — Western embassies and the European Union have urged South Sudan’s transitional government to urgently account for and recover food looted from a World Food Programme (WFP) convoy that was attacked repeatedly in Baliet County in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State.

In a joint statement issued on Friday, the embassies of Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States, alongside the EU delegation, strongly condemned the attacks and looting of twelve WFP boats transporting more than 1,500 metric tonnes of food intended to feed about 73,000 people in need.

The diplomats said the scale of the loss was unacceptable and called on authorities to take prompt action to recover the stolen food and other humanitarian resources that were aboard the boats. They stressed that taxpayers in donor countries expect their funding to deliver the greatest possible life-saving impact, not to be lost to violence and criminality.

“Attacks on humanitarian and medical facilities are entirely unacceptable,” the statement read, urging South Sudanese leaders at all levels to ensure unimpeded humanitarian access to communities suffering from famine, malnutrition and conflict-driven displacement.

The condemnation followed an announcement by the World Food Programme that it had suspended all operations in Baliet County after the convoy came under repeated attacks between Friday and Sunday.

According to WFP, the twelve-boat convoy, carrying food and other relief items downriver, was targeted several times by armed youth despite prior security assurances for the safe passage of aid.

WFP said the cargo was looted in multiple locations and warned that the suspension of activities would remain in place until the safety of its staff, partners and contractors can be guaranteed and authorities take immediate steps to recover the stolen supplies.

“Attacks on humanitarians are never acceptable,” WFP said in a statement, calling on all parties to respect humanitarian workers and protect facilities and resources essential for delivering assistance.

Upper Nile State, one of the country’s opposition strongholds, has been grappling with persistent insecurity, flooding and food shortages, leaving large segments of the population dependent on humanitarian aid. The South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) has faced accusations in recent days in areas controlled by the SPLM-IO amid persistent clashes between the two factions.

The disruption of river-based supply routes, a key lifeline for remote communities, is expected to worsen already fragile food security conditions if access is not restored quickly.