The UN has issued a warning that fierce violence between opposing armed groups has stranded thousands of people in South Sudan. Their ability to flee has also been hampered by flooding in the north of the country, which has resulted in numerous fatalities.
The UN estimates that only roughly 200 people have been able to leave to safety in Malakal, the state capital since the fighting started 10 days ago in the northern town of Tonga.
It’s unclear what started the fighting, but South Sudan has been plagued by intercommunal conflict for months due to clan disputes, cattle rustling, and protracted border disputes. A tenuous peace agreement negotiated in 2018 to put an end to a civil war that lasted more than six years is again in jeopardy due to the fighting.
