The Sudanese government and the rebel army controlling most of southern Sudan have agreed to allow humanitarian workers to return to this war-ravaged country. After a month-long cease-fire, the two sides agreed to take monthly breaks from fighting to allow aid agencies to deliver polio vaccines and medical care in areas that would otherwise be unsafe. Last month, a helicopter fired on civilians and aid workers at a food distribution site. The United States responded by temporarily suspending peace talks with both the government and the rebel army. In the past two decades, more than 2 million people have died in Sudan’s civil war, which has raged, with the exception of a few years of peace, since 1955.

“While the rebel army and the government work toward a lasting peace, this agreement is a gratifying step forward,” said Surge Duss, World Vision’s director of public policy and government relations. “The needs of Sudan’s people must be treated as a priority in the midst of this conflict,”

Since 1972, World Vision has been working in Sudan, helping millions of people hungry and displaced from their homes. Currently, more than 3 million people are facing severe food shortages.