Sudan's military government has ordered two senior officials at the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) to leave the country amid widespread famine sparked by a gruelling civil war that erupted in April 2023.
The WFP said directors of its Sudan operation were declared personae non grata and told to go within 72 hours, without explanation.
The decision comes days after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), captured the key city of el-Fasher in Darfur from the military after an 18-month siege, which included a food blockade.
The WFP said the expulsions came at a pivotal time as humanitarian needs in Sudan had never been greater with more than 24 million people facing acute food insecurity.
Although the military government has not given a reason for the expulsions, it has previously accused aid groups of breaking local laws and releasing misleading reports on famine conditions.
The government said the expulsion will not affect the country's cooperation with the WFP, state news agency Suna reported.
The WFP is engaging with Sudanese authorities to resolve the matter.
Two-and-a-half years of fighting between the army and the RSF escalated recently when the RSF seized el-Fasher in Darfur. There are fears for the fate of the estimated 250,000 residents, many from non-Arab communities.
Reports of atrocities, including mass killings, have emerged since the city fell to the RSF.
International organizations express alarm over the dire humanitarian situation, which mirrors some of the darkest days during Darfur's earlier conflicts.
