WFP workers abducted in Darfur

2008-02-22 16:42

Geneva - Fourteen drivers working for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) were still missing after being abducted in Darfur in western Sudan, the agency said on Friday.

Four drivers who were kidnapped when their trucks were stolen on February 11 had been safely returned on Tuesday.

The agency said that in addition 26 lorries loaded with relief supplies had been stolen since the start of January.

"Security hasn't improved and acts of banditry are on the increase. The convoys are regularly stopped by armed groups who demand money from the drivers," WFP spokesperson Christiane Berthiaume said.

The private companies that supply 1 400 trucks across the region transporting provisions from the Red Sea through Khartoum and into Darfur have so far carried on operating.

WFP said it relied heavily on their cooperation to continue bringing 40 000 tons of relief items a month to (depending on the season) between 2 and 3 million people in Darfur alone.

She said the supply chain was even more critical between January and May when food had to be in position before the rainy season.

Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said they had visited three villages in West Darfur that had been attacked by Sudanese government forces two weeks ago sending thousands of refugees fleeing into neighbouring Chad.

Spokesperson Ron Redmond said UNHCR was shocked at the level of destruction in Sirba.

"Some 40% of the village had been destroyed, burnt to the ground," he said.

Residents in Sirba and nearby Silea and Abou Sourouj had appealed for help in securing their villages.

Around 8 000 refugees had fled to Birak and Koruk in Chad since February 8, according to UNHCR figures though some had now returned to Darfur.

Sapa-dpa

- SAPA