The UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, Alain Noudéhou, has condemned Wednesday’s killing of an aid worker.

The female aid worker was killed when gunmen fired at a clearly marked humanitarian vehicle.

She was in a vehicle travelling in a convoy made up of employees of international NGOs and South Sudan government medical personnel traveling to a health facility.

The incident happened in Budi County in Eastern Equatoria, an area that has seen several roadside ambushes this year.

Local media in Uganda identified the slain aid worker as a 40-year-old Ugandan health specialist.

“I am shocked by this violent act and send my condolences to the family and colleagues of the deceased,” Mr Noudéhou said in a press statement.

“The roads are a vital connection between humanitarian organisations and communities in need, and we must be able to move safely across the country without fear. I call on the government to strengthen law enforcement along these roads.”

This is the first aid worker killed in South Sudan this year. Last year, nine were killed.

This brings the total number of aid workers killed in South Sudan to 125 since the civil war broke out in December 2013.

Most of them were South Sudanese killed in the line of duty.

The UN estimates that 8.3 million South Sudanese need humanitarian help.