South Sudan: WFP Senior Staff Killed in Ambush

By Henry Neondo

JUBA---It is with profound sadness that the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Monday  confirmed the death of one of its staff members in a fatal attack in Southern Sudan .  

A senior programme assistant with the World Food Programme, Santino Pigga Alex Wani, was killed in an ambush on 22 April by unknown assailants near Duk Payuel, Duk County in Jonglei State , South Sudan .

 Santino was on mission with members of WFP’s cooperating partner, Joint Aid Management, or JAM, when the vehicle they were travelling in was attacked.

A statement from the WFP says Santino first started working with WFP in 2004.  

He was born in the Western Equatoria State capital of Yei in Southern Sudan .  He leaves behind a wife and a teenage son and daughter.

WFP is providing food assistance to 1.5 million people in Southern Sudan , assisting returnees to the south, and helping communities to recover from decades of instability and conflict.