RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Thursday condemned an attack the previous day on a World Food Program aid convoy in the North Darfur region of Sudan.

Three trucks caught fire when the 16-vehicle convoy was targeted on Wednesday as it attempted to deliver aid to a famine-hit area north of El-Fasher.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said the Kingdom categorically rejected “anything that threatens the security and safety of civilians and relief and humanitarian workers.”

It added: “The Kingdom calls on all Sudanese parties to adhere to what was signed in the Jeddah Declaration on May 11, 2023, including the commitment to protect civilians and ensure the security of relief and humanitarian aid corridors.”

The Muslim World League (MWL) also strongly condemned the attack, describing it as “a grave violation of religious values and international laws at a time when the Sudanese people are suffering the consequences and devastation of war,” state news agency SPA reported.

An MWL statement called on parties to abide with the provisions of the Jeddah Declaration signed on May 2023, including the protection of civilians and the security of humanitarian corridor, as well as prioritize “effective and serious dialogue” to reach a political solution to the conflict in Sudan.

The Jedah Declaration, brokered by the Kingdom and the US, was agreed by the two main sides in the civil war, the Sudanese Armed Forces and rival militia the Rapid Support Forces, in May 2023, shortly after the conflict began.

The declaration included assurances by both sides that they would allow the unimpeded movement and delivery of humanitarian assistance throughout Sudan.

The conflict, which began in April 2023 and continues to rage, sparked one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. North Darfur has been the scene of some of the worst fighting, and as a result more than a million people there are on the brink of starvation. Across the country, 25 million people face acute hunger.