Statement by WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain on tragic loss of staff members in Sudan

Statement attributable to Cindy McCain, Executive Director of the World Food Programme

ROME – I am shocked and heartbroken by the tragic deaths of three members of the WFP Sudan country team, who lost their lives after an aerial bombardment hit the WFP Field Office Compound in Yabus, Blue Nile State on the evening of Thursday, December 19.

Among the colleagues lost were the head of field office, a programme associate, and a security guard who were carrying out life-saving duties on the frontlines of one of the world’s largest hunger crises. One staff died immediately, while the other two were critically injured and passed away while being transferred for treatment.

Our colleagues’ families have been informed. We stand in solidarity with them and the entire WFP team at this time of grief. 

Any loss of life in humanitarian service is unconscionable. Humanitarians are not, and must never be, a target. Yet a record number have lost their lives in 2024. All other members of the WFP team in Sudan are safe and accounted for. Their safety and security are WFP’s absolute priority. 

WFP remains committed to delivering humanitarian assistance across Sudan, including in Blue Nile State. WFP will stay and deliver vital food and nutrition aid across all locations in Sudan. This is what our fallen colleagues would have wanted. 

We are urgently working to establish the circumstances around this appalling incident. I demand a thorough investigation and for the perpetrators to be held accountable. 

Our team members’ unnecessary deaths are another reminder of the risks that humanitarian workers face in conflict settings and complex operating environments like Sudan. We continue to urge world leaders to advocate for the protection of our dedicated women and men as they risk their own lives to provide life-saving assistance to others.

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This article was orginally published on wfp.org.