The Sudanese army has denied carrying out an airstrike on United Nations World Food Program vehicles carrying aid to the famine-stricken Darfur region.

The Rapid Response Force blamed the army for the airstrike on Wednesday in the city of Melit, which it controls.

The World Food Programme did not provide many details about the attack, but stated that three of the 16 vehicles carrying aid were damaged and caught fire.

The agency added that all personnel on board the vehicles were safe.

Sudan's bloody civil war, now in its third year, has killed tens of thousands of Sudanese, displaced millions, and caused the worst humanitarian crisis on the continent.