Aerial view of Bor town, Jonglei State. (Photo: Courtesy).

The World Food Program has paused its movements out of Bor, in Jonglei State following the looting of its assets on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, the UN Humanitarian Affairs has said.

In a statement sent to the Eye Radio newsroom last evening, OCHA said, a large armed group on motorbikes looted five lorries loaded with food supplies outside of the UN compound in Bor.

It said the lorries were loaded with 100 metric tons of WFP food assistance, enough to feed more than 11,000 people for one month.

The food was to support those in most need living in Twic East. Almost 7 metric tons of food was looted in the attack.

The Interim Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, Mr Peter Van der Auweraert, added his voice to condemn what he termed as a targeted attack and looting of the humanitarian assets at the UN premises in Bor.

“To have lorries attacked on the perimeter of the UN compound is beyond unacceptable and we have no choice but to pause operations out of Bor until the safety and security of our staff and assets can be assured,” the statement partly stated.

For her part, the WFP Representative to South Sudan Mary-Ellen McGroarty warned that such an act will affect more than a million people in Jonglei and Pibor, many of whom are women and children, who rely on the assistance WFP provides.