Five aid workers were killed in Sudan while delivering food to starving families in Darfur, amid escalating conflict and a deepening humanitarian crisis.

Five aid workers were killed in an attack on a humanitarian convoy in Sudan, halting the delivery of life-saving food supplies to families facing starvation in the conflict-ravaged Darfur region, United Nations agencies reported on Tuesday.

The attack occurred on Monday night near the town of Koma in North Darfur province, an area currently under the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The convoy, consisting of 15 trucks, was targeted while en route to deliver essential aid.

"Five members of the convoy were killed and several others injured. Multiple trucks were set ablaze, and critical humanitarian supplies were destroyed," UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP) said in a joint statement.

Both agencies strongly condemned the attack and called for a full investigation, describing the incident as a clear violation of international humanitarian law.

"It is heartbreaking that the assistance did not reach the vulnerable children and families who desperately need it," the statement continued.

The agencies did not name those responsible for the attack. The United Nations confirmed that the victims and injured individuals were Sudanese nationals working as contractors for UNICEF and WFP.

The convoy was attempting to reach the city of el-Fasher, one of the last remaining strongholds of Sudan’s military in Darfur. The city has been under siege by RSF forces since 2024, further complicating aid delivery.

The trucks had traveled a grueling distance of more than 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) from Port Sudan, a city located on the Red Sea in the eastern part of the country.

"This was the first UN humanitarian convoy to attempt entry into el-Fasher in over a year," said UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric during a briefing at UN headquarters in New York.

In a statement following the incident, the RSF claimed that the convoy was struck by a military aircraft in a "pre-planned attack." In contrast, Sudan’s military-led government denied the allegation, stating that the aid trucks were "treacherously attacked by assault drones operated by the rebel Rapid Support Forces militia."

Neither version of events has been independently verified.

Since the outbreak of conflict between the RSF paramilitary group and Sudan’s military-led government two years ago, the country has plunged into what the United Nations describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. In North Darfur alone, more than one million people are teetering on the brink of famine.

The violence has claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced approximately 13 million people within Sudan, and caused massive humanitarian suffering. According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), an estimated four million people have fled across Sudan's borders as of Tuesday.