Leaders of the two warring factions in Sudan agreed to a three-hour ceasefire on humanitarian grounds Sunday, as the World Food Programme (WFP) announced that three of its aid workers are among scores killed in the fighting. The organization announced:

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. Two WFP employees were also injured in the same incident. We have informed the families of these dedicated team members and stand with them and our entire WFP family at this time of catastrophe.

Sudan’s army has carried out air strikes on a paramilitary base near the capital, Khartoum, as it seeks to reassert control over the country after fighting broke out between army units and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over the weekend. The violence has resulted in the deaths of 56 civilians and several fighters. The RSF, led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, is in competition with the military for power as political factions negotiate the formation of a transitional government following a 2021 military coup.

International powers, including the United States, China, Russia, and the United Nations, have appealed for an immediate end to the fighting, and neighboring countries and regional bodies have offered to mediate.

The weekend’s fighting comes after rising tensions over the RSF’s integration into the military, which has delayed the signing of an internationally backed agreement on a transition to democracy. The situation could further destabilize Sudan, which is already grappling with economic breakdown and civil strife, and derail efforts to move towards elections.