3 aid workers killed in Sudan

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Source: AP

KHARTOUM, Sudan - Three men delivering food aid for the U.N. in Sudan were killed in recent days, the latest in a surge of attacks that have delayed the arrival of vital supplies to needy recipients, the World Food Program said Tuesday.

The attacks came about two weeks after the WFP warned that banditry was reducing by half the amount of food normally transported to the western region of Darfur at this time of year.

The agency said the violence was damaging to the welfare of Sudan's citizens and called on the attacks to stop.

"All parties must recognize that the drivers of humanitarian vehicles and their cargo are serving a neutral purpose," WFP Sudan Representative Kenro Oshidari said in a statement released Tuesday. "By attacking humanitarian staff, these assailants are also hurting innocent people who need food assistance."

The group said one man was shot dead and another wounded Monday on the main road to Nyala in South Darfur. Two days before, two men were stabbed to death by six assailants in southern Sudan. All three killed were drivers of WFP-contracted trucks.

The agency said 56 trucks have been involved in hijackings this year in Sudan, 36 trucks remain missing and 24 rivers are unaccounted for. Three WFP-contracted drivers were killed last October while transporting food to Darfur.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080326/ap_on_re_af/sudan_un_darfur;_