Aid reaches Sudan’s Kordofan as over 30 countries alarmed by drone attacks

Food trucks arrive in area that has been cut off for two years as spate of deadly drone attacks hampers relief efforts.Published On 19 Feb 2026United Nations aid trucks have reached an area in Sudan that has been cut off from relief efforts amid warnings that deadly drone strikes are making the hunger crisis in that part of the country worse.The UN said on Wednesday that its aid trucks had reached Dilling and Kadugli, in central Sudan’s Kordofan region, with “life-saving” humanitarian supplies.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4UN accuses paramilitary RSF of committing war crimes in Sudan’s el-Fasherlist 2 of 4AU calls for end to ‘extermination’ of Palestinians, decries African warslist 3 of 4As Sudanese city returns to life after two-year siege, drone threat lingerslist 4 of 4Drone attack on busy market in Sudan kills at least 28end of listThe World Food Programme (WFP) “transported more than 700 metric tons of food commodities to support nearly 70,000 people, including 21,000 mothers and children with specialized nutritious food to prevent malnutrition,” the UN said in a statement.“Dilling and the nearby city of Kadugli have been largely cut off from aid for more than two years, leaving communities with severe shortages of humanitarian assistance,” the UN said.The aid delivery came as more than 30 countries issued a statement on Wednesday expressing “grave concern” at a recent “severe escalation” in drone attacks amid “heavy fighting” in the Darfur and Kordofan regions.The 28 European Union countries, plus Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, warned that “intentional attacks” against aid workers and “wilfully impeding” relief supplies, “may amount to war crimes”.The statement was issued after 28 people were killed and dozens more injured when drone-fired missiles hit the al-Safiya market in the town of Sodari in North Kordofan state on Sunday, according to monitoring group Emergency Lawyers.UN human rights chief Volker Turk also issued a statement on Wednesday expressing alarm at the increase in drone attacks in the conflict.