Sudanese gunmen have looted a World Food Programme warehouse in Darfur containing approximately 1,900 tonnes of food aid, officials said Wednesday, amid a surge in violence in the western region.

Residents of El Fasher, the state capital of North Darfur, reported heavy shooting near the warehouse late Tuesday, and local authorities imposed a nighttime curfew on the town following the attack, according to state news agency SUNA.

"We heard intense gunfire," local resident Mohamed Salem told AFP.

According to a WFP official, the organization is "conducting an audit into what was stolen from the warehouse, which contained approximately 1,900 tonnes of food products," which were meant to be lifesaving supplies for the most vulnerable people.

On her account, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Sudan Khardiata Lo N'diaye said that "one in three people in Sudan needs humanitarian assistance," stressing that “humanitarian assistance should never be a target."

Local media said that security authorities declared a curfew in Sudan’s North Darfur state from 6 pm to 5 am (local time) until further notice.

On Twitter, Darfur Governor Mini Minawi condemned the "barbaric act" and said those responsible "will face justice."

Last week, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern over rising violence in Sudan.

He also condemned the looting and reported violence near a former UN logistics base in El Fasher that had been handed over to the local authorities days earlier.

UNAMID, a joint UN-African Union mission, ended its 13-year peacekeeping mission in December last year, but Guterres said "substantial amounts of equipment and supplies" from the looted base were intended for use by Sudanese communities.

It is worth noting that more than 14 million Sudanese will need humanitarian aid next year, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the highest level in a decade.