Security woes have grounded the World Food Programme’s (WFP) mission in Baliet County, South Sudan, after looters and gunmen ravaged a key aid convoy. This shutdown signals mounting dangers for global relief in Africa’s newest nation, where war devours progress.
From Juba, WFP confirmed Wednesday the full stoppage stems from assaults on its 12-boat armada—packed with 1,500 metric tons of food aid and extras for partners—hit repeatedly by armed youths January 30 through February 1. Baliet locals plundered the loads nocturnally, ignoring administration pledges for safe transit.
County inaction during the heist left WFP no choice but to suspend until robust protections envelop its workforce, collaborators, and suppliers.
Demanding swift restitution of stolen wares, WFP blasted attacks on humanitarians as intolerable. It beseeched conflict actors: ‘Uphold the sanctity of aid delivery by protecting personnel and assets essential to our work.’
Jonglei’s cauldron boils over. Government and rebel forces, locked in combat since December 2024, have demolished aid depots and clinics in Akobo, Ayod, Nyirrol, and Uror counties via the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces and Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In-Opposition.
Such mayhem endangers WFP’s lifeline to 4.2 million starving families, with convoy raids and blockades poised to dismantle operations. Preemptive placement of 12,000 metric tons for Jonglei’s rainy season? Scrapped amid the chaos. As urgency peaks, diplomacy demands priority to shield the shields—those aid warriors feeding the forgotten.