The United Nations has suspended its humanitarian operations in Sudan's troubled south Darfur area following the killing of two aid workers at the weekend.
The Sudanese employees of Save the Children - medical assistant Abhakar el Tayeb and mechanic Yacoub Abdelnabi Ahmed - were killed Sunday when their convoy came under fire in South Darfur, according to the UN statement.
It did not say who fired on the convoy.
Two main rebel groups are fighting government troops in Darfur in a bid for more power and resources. The UN describes the conflict as the world's worst humanitarian crisis, and international aid agencies have been struggling to feed and shelter almost two million people.
A UN spokeswoman said: Our humanitarian operations in South Darfur are currently suspended whilst we review the situation. An African Union investigation is under way."
Save the Children UK, which works closely with the UN on humanitarian assistance in Darfur, operates a food centre and medical clinics in the area.
In October, two Save the Children employees were killed by a landmine in North Darfur.
President Omar el-Bashir asked Parliament to renew Sudan's state of emergency for another year, citing security threats in Darfur, the official Sudan news agency reported.
The president first declared a state of emergency and dissolved Parliament in December 1999 in a bid to limit the power of a rival. The current state of emergency expires on January 1st. The ruling party dominates Parliament and has never rejected a request submitted by the president.
In Abuja, Nigeria, on Monday, Sudanese government and rebel negotiators met for the first time for talks on ending the crisis. Later, however, the rebels announced a boycott of the talks, alleging a government offensive and saying a return to the negotiating table is not possible until the government promises to cease attacks.
AP