World Food Programme cuts back air service for aid workers in Sudan for lack of funding

(CNN) - The U.N. World Food Programme, the globe's largest humanitarian agency, is cutting back its air service in Sudan because a lack of funding has made it difficult to ferry aid workers to remote parts of Darfur and the southern part of the country, the agency said Tuesday. The cutback will affect the efforts of 14,000 aid workers, it said.

The WFP said it needs an infusion of $20 million by June 15 in order to maintain full service for its Humanitarian Air Service. The agency runs the air service on behalf of all the humanitarian organizations operating in Sudan.

The air service is especially important now because road travel throughout Darfur has become increasingly dangerous in recent months. Dozens of WFP trucks have been hijacked since the beginning of the year, with some drivers still unaccounted for. At least two drivers have been killed.