The U.N. World Food Program (WFP) on Wednesday denounced the killing of three truck drivers who were shot while working for the agency in the Darfur region of Sudan. “WFP is deeply saddened and shocked by the killings of these brave men, who knew the dangers they were facing but continued to work tirelessly to alleviate suffering and bring food to the hungry in Darfur,” said Kenro Oshidari, the WFP's representative in Sudan. The United Nations remains “seriously concerned about the safety of civilians throughout Darfur,” U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's spokeswoman, Michele Montas, told reporters Wednesday in New York City. WFP, which employs 20,000 contract drivers and their assistants in Darfur, had no information on who was responsible for the killings. Two of the drivers were killed Tuesday while returning to the city of El Obeid in South Darfur state after delivering supplies. That was the same Darfur region where 10 African Union (AU) peacekeepers were recently killed by rebels. The third driver was killed last Friday on the road between the state capitals of North and South Darfur. During the incident, 25 bags of grain were looted from the truck.
