Sudan's military expels top UN food aid officials as conflict escalates. The WFP said directors of its Sudan operation were declared "personae non grata" and told to go within 72 hours, without explanation

INTERNATIONAL bodies such as the European Union and African Union have expressed alarm, while locals say the current situation is reminiscent of the region's darkest days. 

Darfur experienced one of the world's gravest humanitarian disasters from 2003 to 2020. The Janjaweed, a militia who were accused of genocide and ethnic cleansing during this time, morphed into what is now the RSF.

Read more in this report from BBC News

By Wedaeli Chibelushi

Published Wednesday 29 October 2025 - excerpt:

Sudan's military expels top UN food aid officials as conflict escalates

IMAGE SOURCE, AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES Image caption,

The World Food Programme says it is engaging with Sudanese authorities to resolve the matter

Sudan's military government has ordered two senior officials at the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) to leave the country amid widespread famine sparked by a gruelling civil war that erupted in April 2023.

The WFP said directors of its Sudan operation were declared "personae non grata" and told to go within 72 hours, without explanation.

The decision comes days after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), captured the key city of el-Fasher in Darfur from the military after an 18-month siege, which included a food blockade.

The WFP said the expulsions came a "pivotal time" as humanitarian needs in Sudan had "never been greater with more than 24 million people facing acute food insecurity".

Although the military government has not given a reason for the expulsions, it has previously accused aid groups of breaking local laws and releasing misleading reports on famine conditions.

The government said the expulsion will not affect the country's cooperation with the WFP, state news agency Suna reported.

The WFP says it is engaging with Sudanese authorities to resolve the matter.

Full story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yp2v4n1d5o

More about Sudan's war from the BBC:

A simple guide to what is happening in Sudan

A pregnant woman's diary of escape from war zone

Sudan in danger of self-destructing as conflict and famine reign

El-Fasher siege: My son's whole body is full of shrapnel

Sudan's fertile region where food is rotting amid famine and war

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