The UN convoy consisted of 27 barges travelling on the Sobat River from Nasir to Akobo, in Southern Sudan near the border with Ethiopia.[2] Following rains which washed away roads, the river was the only way to move aid around the south of the country, which has suffered from tribal fighting – the river itself being closed earlier in the year due to increased tension in the area.[2][2] The 27 UN barges were travelling in company with four other barges.[3] The barges were only allowed to use the river following negotiations with high-ranking government officials, who agreed to a 150-man SPLA escort.[3][4] The convoy was operating under the auspices of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and was to have helped support around 18,000 of the 135,000 people displaced by recent tribal fighting which claimed hundreds of lives.[1][5]