UN condemns attack on aid convoy

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has condemned an attack by Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels on an aid convoy in northern Uganda, which has resulted in the suspension of relief food deliveries to some 120,000 people. "It is totally unacceptable that humanitarian aid would be the target of such attacks," WFP Country Director for Uganda, Ken Davies, said in a statement issued on Monday. A convoy of eight trucks carrying 300 mt of food aid and clearly marked with WFP flags came under fire on Saturday morning while travelling on the road between Lira and Kitgum, WFP said. The assailants were finally forced to retreat following an exchange of fire with the Ugandan army escort accompanying the convoy. The driver of one of the trucks was killed in the attack. As a result of Saturday's incident, WFP has decided to suspend its activities within Kitgum and Pader districts until further notice, the UN food agency said. This is the second time in recent months that WFP has been forced to suspend activities in the area. In June, increased insecurity led to a one month suspension that resulted in a dramatic increase in malnutrition rates among displaced children, WFP said. In addition, three major rebel attacks in the last two months have forced some 30,000 Sudanese refugees to abandon their settlements, placing an additional humanitarian burden on an area already suffering massive displacement. Some 500,000 internally displaced people have been forced to remain in "protected camps" in the northern districts of Gulu, Kitgum and Pader for the last six years as a result of the LRA insurgency, carried out from rear bases in southern Sudan. An anti-LRA offensive launched by Uganda government forces in March has pushed LRA fighters back into northern Uganda and led to a sharp rise in insecurity in the area. "These people, mainly women and children, have lost their harvest, their homes, and almost everything they own as a result of the current insecurity," Davies said. "We are extremely concerned with the future of these women and children if insecurity continues to prevent us from providing urgently required assistance."