United Nations Radio

The World Food Programme (WFP) announced that yet another of its drivers delivering humanitarian aid in southern Sudan was shot and killed by unknown assailants.

His assistant, who tried to flee, was also shot dead. This incident brings to five the number of such killings in Sudan within the past three weeks. WFP's spokesperson in Khartoum, Emilia Casella, says the latest attack is a heartless and senseless crime that hurts not only those immediately involved, but all the vulnerable people in Sudan who are in need of food aid.

"Both in Darfur and in southern Sudan, we're extremely concerned that this lawlessness and insecurity on the roads is affecting our ability to deliver food in a timely manner. This is extremely concerning now because the rainy season will begin in May, and during this month it is imperative that we deliver as much food as possible into the countryside."

In addition to the killings in Darfur and southern Sudan in recent weeks, WFP says that since the start of the year, there were 60 hijackings of trucks in Darfur, with 42 trucks missing and 29 drivers unaccounted for.

For United Nations Radio, I'm Dianne Penn.

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