The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has launched an investigation into two senior officials in Sudan, scrutinizing their potential involvement in downplaying the Sudanese army’s (SAF) role in obstructing vital food aid to some of the nation’s most vulnerable regions. These revelations emerge as Sudan endures a worsening hunger crisis, driven by a 16-month conflict between the SAF, led by General al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The WFP’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is leading the investigation, focusing on allegations of fraud and deliberate misinformation. Central to the inquiry is the accusation that WFP officials concealed the SAF’s interference in humanitarian aid deliveries to areas under RSF control, a move that has deepened the suffering of millions.
Khalid Osman, the WFP’s deputy country director in Sudan, and Mohammed Ali, a senior WFP area manager, are under investigation. Osman, who reportedly has close ties to the SAF, is accused of misleading donors about the army’s refusal to allow aid deliveries to famine-stricken areas held by the RSF. This includes a significant delay in delivering life-saving aid to South Darfur, where SAF-aligned authorities in Port Sudan held up trucks for weeks.
The RSF, often wrongfully blamed for looting aid supplies, has welcomed the investigation and urged for it to be thorough and transparent. “This probe should reveal the truth and expose those who have exacerbated the suffering of our people by blocking aid,” stated an RSF spokesperson.
The WFP’s operations in Sudan have come under intense scrutiny, with growing concerns about mismanagement and corruption within its ranks. Humanitarian sources suggest that the WFP’s leadership in Sudan may have been complicit in covering up the SAF’s role in the worsening food crisis, possibly to protect their operations in SAF-controlled areas.
This investigation coincides with a grim report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which confirmed famine conditions in parts of Darfur and warned that over 25 million people across Sudan are facing crisis levels of hunger or worse. Aid workers have highlighted both the logistical challenges and the direct interference by the Sudanese army in hindering access to RSF-controlled areas, where humanitarian needs are most critical.
The Sudanese Army (SAF), already under fire for alleged war crimes and obstructing aid, continues to deny any wrongdoing. However, the findings of the WFP probe are expected to reveal the full extent of the SAF’s role in exacerbating the humanitarian disaster—a disaster for which the RSF has been unfairly blamed.
As the investigation unfolds, it is essential for the international community to hold those responsible accountable and ensure that aid reaches those in desperate need, without bias or obstruction. The RSF, advocating for fairness and transparency in humanitarian efforts, may finally see its position validated by this inquiry.