A Kenyan national working as an airdrop coordinator for the World Food Programme (WFP) was shot dead on Tuesday in Ngueny Boma, Nasir County, South Sudan, according to local officials.
South Sudan’s independent government agency, the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC), confirmed the incident in a formal letter to the WFP’s Nasir County Director, describing the killing as tragic.
“On behalf of the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) office, we extend our deepest condolences to the WFP following the tragic and accidental killing of your staff member in Ngueny Boma, Nasir County,” the letter, shared reads.
“We are deeply saddened by this loss and recognise the dedication and sacrifice of humanitarian workers who serve vulnerable communities under challenging circumstances. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the deceased, colleagues and the entire WFP.”
RRC Acting Director Changkouth Wiyual later confirmed the worker’s nationality and details surrounding his death to Eye Radio. According to Wiyual, the incident unfolded in the early hours of Tuesday when an armed assailant entered a UN compound and opened fire, killing the airdrop coordinator.
“The incident occurred around 5 am yesterday. The attacker, described as a drug addict, entered the compound and fired at a guard, who managed to escape. The suspect then shot the airdrop coordinator, who was a Kenyan national,” Wiyual said.
“Local authorities and the commissioner are currently working together to track down the suspect and bring him to justice.”
Attacks on humanitarian workers and aid operations have become increasingly common in South Sudan, underscoring the growing risks faced by those delivering assistance.
For example, the World Food Programme recently suspended activities in Baliet County, Upper Nile state, after a river convoy carrying more than 1,500 tons of food and nonfood aid was repeatedly attacked and looted by armed youths between January 30 and February 1. The attacks disrupted deliveries to vulnerable communities.
Similarly, worsening insecurity forced the agency to abandon plans to pre-position 12,000 tons of food in Jonglei state ahead of the rainy season, heightening fears that access to vulnerable communities would deteriorate further once roads become impassable.
The aid workers face extreme danger in South Sudan, which ranks among the world’s deadliest countries for humanitarians because of frequent armed attacks on personnel and convoys.
Several WFP staff members and contracted porters have been killed over the years, including during violence in 2021 that affected field workers. In neighboring Sudan, three staff members were killed in aerial bombardment in December 2024.
Since March 2021, South Sudan has experienced a surge in armed attacks targeting civilians, humanitarian workers and aid assets. The insecurity has at times forced temporary suspensions of operations, cutting off assistance to areas with more than 100,000 people in need.
For several consecutive years, data has shown South Sudan to be the most dangerous country in the world for local aid workers.
WFP convoys, even when granted secure passage, are frequently attacked by armed youths, resulting in the looting of food aid.
