AYOD COUNTY · WFP STATEMENT
Food for 4,400 Forced Off WFP Convoy in Ayod
The agency confirms a forced offload and threats against workers. It has not identified the perpetrators or established publicly what happened to the food.
JUBA — The World Food Programme said on 5 October that armed youths stopped a river convoy at Chuilbong in Ayod County on 29 September. After negotiations for safe passage failed, the group assaulted and threatened two humanitarian workers at gunpoint and forced the crew to unload an estimated 162.54 metric tonnes of food. WFP said local authorities were present.
The consignment was allocated to roughly 4,400 vulnerable people in Mogok for three months. WFP and partner Action Against Hunger personnel returned safely to Malakal on 2 October with another 291.48 tonnes intended for Ayod South.
What remains unknown
WFP described the perpetrators as armed youths. It did not name a specific force or community. It has not established publicly where the Mogok allocation is now, whether it was distributed or diverted, or whether it can be recovered. Its statement does not announce arrests or a replacement delivery.
The safe return of the crew and the separate Ayod South cargo should not be confused with delivery of the Mogok allocation. The two quantities refer to different destinations.
Why this matters
The forced offload interrupted a planned three-month allocation for people already identified as vulnerable. It raises immediate questions about safe passage on the river corridor, how local authorities responded and whether families in Mogok can receive alternative assistance.
South Sudan Press is seeking accounts from WFP, Action Against Hunger, county and state officials and the communities intended to receive the food: Where is the 162.54 tonnes? Will a replacement convoy travel? Were either workers injured? What investigation has begun, and what arrangements will secure future access?
Source: WFP statement, 5 October 2026. This report distinguishes the agency’s confirmed account from questions still unanswered.