The Rival forces in Sudan have agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire as brokered by the US and Saudi Arabia following a deadly airstrike on residential area that left 17 civilians including five children dead.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America announce the agreement of representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces on a ceasefire throughout Sudan for a period of 72 hours,” a joint statement from Riyadh and Washington said.

The nationwide truce, which went into effect at 6 am Khartoum time (04:00 GMT) on Sunday, will last until June 21, according to the statement.

It is the latest in a series of attempts to put an end to the fighting, which intensified on Saturday after an airstrike hit a residential area in Sudan’s capital Khartoum leaving 17 dead.

The statement said that both the military and the RSF agreed to stop fighting and “refrain from seeking military advantage during the ceasefire,” and also would “allow the unimpeded movement and delivery of humanitarian assistance throughout the country.”

“The two sides agreed that during the ceasefire period, they would refrain from movements and attacks, the use of warplanes or drones, artillery bombardment, reinforcement of positions, resupply of forces, or refrain from attempting to achieve military gains,” it added.

It also said that in case the parties fail to observe the ceasefire, facilitators will be obliged to consider “adjourning the Jeddah talks”, referring to the discussions in the Saudi Arabian port city.

Multiple truces have been agreed upon and broken during the two-month war, including after the United States slapped sanctions on both generals when a previous attempt collapsed at the end of May.

A record 25 million people – more than half the population – are in need of aid and protection, including 13 million children, according to the United Nations, which said it has received only a fraction of the necessary funding.

The situation is expected to worsen with the approaching rainy season threatening to make parts of the country inaccessible and raising the risks of malaria, cholera, and water-borne diseases.