London, Jun 16 -- A press report, dated today, states: An attack on river barges, carrying World Food Programme food in southern Sudan, has caused a serious setback to food distribution to displaced people in the region. WFP, the UN food agency, said yesterday it was now airlifting supplies to the affected region but the head of WFP's Juba programme, Michelle Iseminger, in Khartoum, warned that this was only a temporary solution. Reports from Sudan indicated that armed men attacked the 27-boat convoy on the Sobat river, a tributary of the White Nile, on Friday (Jun 12). The barges, on their way south to the town of Akobo, were carrying sorghum and other food aids to internally displaced persons (IDPs) who had fled tribal fighting in South Sudan. So far, 16 boats have returned to Nasir, all without the food they were carrying. United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) reported that five boats may have sunk in the attack. In any case, no food by boat had reached Akobo. The attack will not