UN food agency suspends work in Sudan after staff killed as hours-long humanitarian pause takes place

The UN's food agency on Sunday said it was suspending work in Sudan after three staff were killed in the restive Darfur region, as fighting raged between the army and paramilitaries.

"I am appalled and heartbroken by the tragic deaths of three WFP employees on Saturday 15 April in violence in Kabkabiya, North Darfur while carrying out their life saving duties on the front lines of the global hunger crisis," Cindy McCain, executive director of the World Food Programme, said in a statement.

"While we review the evolving security situation, we are forced to temporarily halt all operations in Sudan," she said.

"WFP is committed to assisting the Sudanese people facing dire food insecurity, but we cannot do our life-saving work if the safety and security of our teams and partners is not guaranteed," she said.

"All parties must come to an agreement that ensures the safety of humanitarian workers on the ground and enables the continued delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to the people of Sudan. They remain our top priority."

Fighting in Sudan raged for a second day Sunday in battles between rival generals who seized power in a 2021 coup.

At least 56 civilians, including the UN staff, have been killed and there have been "tens of deaths" among security forces, according to the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors.

Battling fighters in Sudan said they had begun an hours-long humanitarian pause, including to evacuate wounded, on the second day of raging urban battles.