A convoy of 16 trucks carrying food aid into Sudan’s North Darfur was hit by a drone strike, the United Nations said Thursday, as the country’s warring factions traded blame.

UN spokesperson Daniela Gross confirmed all drivers and World Food Programme (WFP) staff were safe, though several trucks caught fire. Reports vary: Reuters said at least three were set ablaze, while the Associated Press cited UN officials saying all 16 burned.

It’s the second time in three months that aid convoys bound for famine-hit North Darfur have been attacked. In June, an earlier convoy was struck while waiting for clearance to enter el-Fasher, killing five and injuring others.

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) blamed the Sudanese army for the latest attack, while the army dismissed the claim as “fabrication” meant to cover RSF abuses.

Humanitarian agencies warn the situation is dire: nearly 25 million Sudanese face severe hunger, and 70 trucks of aid remain stranded in Nyala awaiting safe passage. The city of el-Fasher, still held by government forces, is under RSF siege, leaving 300,000 people trapped and starving.

The war, which broke out in April 2023, has killed at least 40,000 people and displaced nearly 13 million. UN officials say famine is now spreading across Darfur and into Kordofan.