Email
Print
Save
September 27, 2012 (WAU) - UN World Food Programme (UNWFP) has suspended humanitarian flights to Warrap state, due to the lack of security guarantees after a disagreement with the state Governor, according to local authorities and aid workers on Thursday.
- WFP flight preparing to drop aid in South Sudan (WFP, photo)
No official statement has been made by the state administration assuring WFP staff working in the area will be protected.
The WFP issued a statement announcing the cessation of flights in the state, hours after the governor Nyandeng Malek protested a routine check on her hand luggage on one of their flights.
Aviation authority officials in the South Sudan capital, Juba, told Sudan Tribune on Thursday that Malek attempted to resist the security check. A member of the authority who wished to retain their anonymity described Malek as “a hundred percent wrong.“ He also claimed that Malek wa unsuccessfully trying to get re-seated at the front of the plane, despite the fact that she had seat reserved.
The official said Malek had a bitter exchange with the pilot, resulting in the cancellation of all WFP flights to Warrap.
Attempts to reach both Malek and the WFP country director did not succeed, though officials working for the state administration and WFP also claimed that reports of the incident were true.
A source close to Malek claimed that WFP staff are to blame for failing to accord her due respect, considering her position as governor. He also claimed that steps have been taken to address the “misunderstanding” with WFP.
(ST)
Latest Comments & Analysis
Alex de Waal: the rebirth of a principled activist? 2013-06-20 03:33:50 By Monim El-Jak June 19, 2013 - Whenever Alex de Waal publishes analysis or reflections, Sudanese intellectuals and activists, and the concerned international institutions and individuals, give (...)
On Abyei enough is enough 2013-06-18 05:01:47 By Deng Vanang June 17, 2013 - No one whether locally or internationally can still argue there is more hope to resolve Abyei stalemate peacefully. It has been everybody’s wish that dialogue could (...)
The arming of rebels in Sudan and South Sudan: what is the evidence? 2013-06-18 04:57:44 By Eric Reeves 17 June 2013 - News reporting in general, a great deal of analytic writing, and virtually all diplomatic pronouncements about military support for rebel groups—in South Sudan and (...)
MORE