Sudan expels UN World Food Programme officials as conflict escalates

Two WFP officials are give 72 hours to leave without explanation - days after a key city falls to the RSF.

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The WFP said directors of its Sudan operation were declared "personae non grata" and told to go within 72 hours, without explanation.

The decision comes days after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), captured the key city of el-Fasher in Darfur from the military after an 18-month siege, which included a food blockade.

The WFP said the expulsions came a "pivotal time" as humanitarian needs in Sudan had "never been greater with more than 24 million people facing acute food insecurity".

Although the military government has not given a reason for the expulsions, it has previously accused aid groups of breaking local laws and releasing misleading reports on famine conditions.