RSF Accused of Burning Food Convoy in West Kordofan, Sudan

RSF militants set fire to a convoy of trucks carrying sorghum and peanuts near El Nahud, according to local officials and video footage circulated by the group. The convoy had been traveling toward El Obeid, a key commercial hub in North Kordofan, when it was intercepted and destroyed.

The loss of agricultural goods comes as Sudan faces rising food insecurity, with trade routes across Kordofan increasingly disrupted.

El Nahud, along with Ghabaysh and Wad Banda, forms a central peanut production zone and hosts one of the region’s largest commodity exchanges, now largely paralyzed by insecurity and merchant flight. The route serves as a critical artery linking production zones to urban markets.

Traders report that restrictions on movement have already caused sharp price divergence, with crops losing value locally while prices surge in army-controlled cities.

The RSF’s actions align with a broader blockade policy introduced in 2024, which banned the movement of crops, livestock, and strategic goods from RSF-controlled areas to territories held by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). This has effectively severed economic linkages between western Sudan and national markets.

Local accounts suggest the convoy may have been targeted after traders paid “escort duties” for safe passage. The Dar Hamar Emergency Room described the attack as an “economic massacre,” accusing RSF of undermining the livelihoods of agricultural communities in West Kordofan. They alleged that the convoy was deliberately lured and destroyed after payment.

Video evidence showed fighters celebrating as the cargo burned, intensifying public backlash among local trade networks.

The destruction of the convoy reportedly wiped out the life savings of farmers and traders involved in the shipment, amplifying the economic impact beyond immediate food loss.

Experts and activists have linked such incidents to a wider pattern of attacks on food systems, accusing the UAE- linked militia of “Deliberate Starvation Tactics in Sudan War”, citing satellite and sensor data documenting attacks on 41 farming communities in Darfur aimed at destroying food supplies ahead of the siege of El Fasher.

As the conflict continues into its third year, the cumulative impact on agricultural cycles and trade infrastructure is increasing the risk that seasonal food shortages could evolve into sustained humanitarian crises across Kordofan and Darfur.