Relief Suspended in Sudanese State After Facilities Looted

Two international relief organizations have announced that they have suspended their operations in an area of Sudan where the Rapid Support Forces have recently gained ground against the army. The suspension of operations by the United Nations World Food Programme and Doctors Without Borders threatens to worsen the humanitarian crisis stemming from a war that has been ongoing for more than eight months. The World Food Programme stated that it was forced to halt aid distribution in the state after a warehouse containing supplies sufficient for 1.5 million people for a month was looted. Doctors Without Borders reported on Friday that armed men attacked their compound in Wad Madani, the capital of Al Jazirah State, on December 19 and stole two vehicles and other belongings. The state is located approximately 170 kilometers southeast of the capital Khartoum.