KHARTOUM, June 18 (Aljazeera) - Sudan’s armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have agreed to a new 72-hour ceasefire from Sunday, US and Saudi mediators said, after fighting intensified with deadly air attacks in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.

The nationwide truce, which went into effect at 6am (04:00 GMT) on Sunday, will last until June 21, according to a joint statement from Riyadh and Washington.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and 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,” the statement said.

The US and Saudi Arabia have been mediating between the warring parties for weeks, and multiple ceasefire agreements failed to stop the fighting, which has only escalated across Sudan.

Their 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 statement noted that “should the parties fail to observe the 72-hour ceasefire, facilitators will be compelled to consider adjourning the Jeddah talks”, referring to the discussions in the Saudi Arabian port city.

The truce comes ahead of a pledging conference on Monday to raise funds for the growing humanitarian needs in the country.

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

Earlier on Saturday, an air attack in Khartoum killed at least 17 people, including five children, as fighting continued between rival generals seeking to control Sudan.

The attack was one of the deadliest of the clashes in urban areas of Khartoum and elsewhere in Sudan between the military and the RSF.

The conflict in Sudan broke out in mid-April, capping months of increasing tensions between Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, the respective leaders of the military and the RSF, after the two fell out in a power struggle.