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FILE PHOTO: A volunteer distributes food to people in Omdurman, Sudan, September 3, 2023.
The United Nations World Food Programme has reportedly launched an investigation into allegations of fraud and breaking rules around neutrality in war zones against two of its top officials in Sudan amid its ongoing civil war. The probe will scrutinize WFP’s deputy director for Sudan, Khalid Osman, as well as Mohammed Ali, an area manager, and the list of investigation targets is expected to grow.
What are the accusations? Officials are reportedly believed to have misled donors about the roles of each side of the civil war in preventing delivery of aid, casting more blame on the Rapid Support Forces than the Sudanese Army. For example, Osman is alleged to have hid the fact that Sudanese Army officials prevented 15 trucks to carry aid to South Darfur in June of this year, where many communities are at risk of famine. Ali is also specifically being investigated for the disappearance of more than 200,000 liters of fuel being warehoused by the UN.
What happens now? Osman has been placed on a de facto suspension, and Ali’s status is not clear. Osman allegedly controlled which WFP staff could access the organization’s activities in Sudan, and more of his affiliates are likely to come under observation.
That’s scant comfort for the 46 million Sudanese caught in the crossfire, particularly in Darfur, where Black ethnic groups are systematically targeted for genocide, displacement, and weaponized rape. Over half the country’s population are near starvation, and over 10 million are displaced from their homes.