JUBA, April 20 (Xinhua) -- At least 60 aid workers have been relocated from South Sudan's Walgak and Waat areas in northern Jonglei due to intensified armed conflict, the UN said on Thursday.
The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said renewed fighting has also caused thousands of people to flee from multiple locations including Waat and Walgak in Jonglei, amid concerns that clashes may spread to additional areas.
"The situation deteriorated in the second week of April, as a government offensive swept through multiple villages, including in areas where fighting previously flared up in late February," OCHA said in its latest report released in Juba.
The UN said the humanitarian workers had to relocate from multiple locations including Waat and Walgak in Jonglei on April 14 and 15.
"The relocations forced humanitarian organizations to suspend preparations for food drops due to target more than 11,200 people in Nyirol, and disrupted other vital humanitarian programming, including education, health, nutrition and WASH activities," it said.
The relocations follow earlier disruptions to humanitarian action in Jonglei when humanitarian assets and supplies were looted by civilians and armed actors during clashes in February.
According to OCHA, although it has not yet been possible to verify displacement figures due to the fluidity of the situation, preliminary estimates indicate that up to 100,000 people have been affected and displaced, many of whom had previously been displaced during fighting in February which caused thousands of people to flee from Motot and Pulchuol in Uror to Waat, Lankien, Akobo and Ethiopia.
"While fighting in Jonglei in 2017 has to date centred in Uror and Nyirol, there are concerns that conflict may also erupt in the Pibor area, where there have been increasing reports of localized clashes since February," the UN said.
It also said there are also concerns that the renewed fighting and displacement may exacerbate food insecurity in Jonglei heading into the lean season, where Nyirol was already expected to face emergency levels of food insecurity.
