The food was stolen - now the UN is pausing work in the affected area

The raids on UN warehouses began on Tuesday.

Armed groups then attacked and ransacked a warehouse in El Fasher, North Darfur.

The authorities issued a curfew but it did not help.

By Thursday, according to the UN, all three warehouses in North Darfur had been attacked by armed groups.

In total, more than 5,000 tonnes of food have disappeared.

Two million people were affected

"This theft robbed nearly two million people of the food and nutrition they desperately needed," WFP chief David Beasley wrote on Twitter.

He continues:

"Not only is it a huge setback for our work in the country, it also jeopardizes the safety of our staff and reduces our ability to help the most vulnerable families."

According to WFP, it is not possible to transport food from other parts of the country without it affecting those in need there.

So instead, they have now completely paused their work in North Darfur.

Protests against coup

Sudan is one of the poorest countries in the world with more than 11 million people in need of help by 2022, according to the UN.

Major protests have been going on in the country since the military coup in October when, among others, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was arrested.

He was later re-installed as Prime Minister but with a military overcoat.

The coup general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan is described as the real leader of the country.

During New Year's Day, five people are said to have died during protests on Thursday, according to AP.

A total of 53 people have died since the coup in October.

Police in Sudan said in a statement on New Year's Eve that four protesters had been killed and 290 injured in the protests.