The World Food Program (WFP) estimates that $13 million to $14 million worth of food intended for people in dire need was looted in Sudan after war broke out in the northeast African nation on April 15.

WFP Sudan director Eddie Rowe, speaking to Reuters via video link from Port Sudan, spoke of rampant looting and added that the agency, part of the UN system, was still trying to verify some information about further thefts of its stockpiles. .

“We calculated that some 17,000 metric tons were looted [τροφίμων], some of them in our warehouses, some of them while being transported by vehicles,” explained Mr. Rowe. “That translates to US$13 to US$14 — I’m just talking about food costs. Every day we receive information about new lootings.”

Mr Rowe’s remarks came a day after the UN’s humanitarian coordinator, Martin Griffiths, called on the rival generals to guarantee the safe passage of humanitarian aid and UN staff.

Sudan’s armed conflict has forced some 115,000 people to flee to neighboring countries, according to the United Nations, and is hampering food distribution in a country where one in three people already needed humanitarian aid before the outbreak.

Mr Rowe noted that the UN would urgently need to buy new supplies for civilians in Sudan: “If we don’t do it now, our stocks will run out within the next two to three months,” he reckoned.

“We have already started talks with donors to see how quickly we can supply [τα εφόδια] and deliver them to locations where there are windows of opportunity and it’s relatively safe for us,” he explained.