KHARTOUM, Sudan

The World Food Programme (WFP) has suspended relief operations in Sudan following the killing of three employees amid clashes between the Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Three employees of the UN agency were killed and two injured in clashes in Kabkabiya in North Darfur on Saturday.

“I am appalled and heartbroken by the tragic deaths of three WFP employees on Saturday in violence in Kabkabiya, North Darfur while carrying out their life-saving duties on the front lines of the global hunger crisis,” WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain said in a statement.

“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 added.

McCain underlined the need for all parties to “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.”

Armed clashes erupted Saturday morning in Sudan's capital Khartoum and its surrounding cities between the army and RSF fighters.

At least 56 people have been killed and hundreds injured in the fighting, according to local medics.

The dispute between the two sides came to the surface on Thursday when the army said recent movements by the RSF had happened without coordination and were illegal, with their rift centering around a proposed transition to civilian rule.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021 when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency, in a move decried by political forces as a “coup”.

Last December, Sudan’s military and political forces signed a framework agreement to resolve the months-long crisis.

The signing of the final agreement was scheduled to take place on April 6 but was delayed. No date has been announced for the signing of the deal.

Sudan’s transitional period which started in August 2019 was scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

*Ikram Kouachi contributed to this report