S. Sudan fighting displaces 100,000 in two months, UNHCR says

Renewed fighting in South Sudan's states of Unity and Upper Nile has displaced over 100,000 people in the past two months, the United Nations (UN) refugee agency, or UNHCR said on Tuesday.

The heavy fighting has blocked humanitarian aid delivery for some 650,000 people as aid organizations were forced to withdraw, said a UNHCR statement received in Kenya's capital, Nairobi.

"UNHCR offices in Sudan, Ethiopia and Uganda have all reported sharp increases in arrivals during May," the statement said.

Since the beginning of the year, some 60,000 South Sudanese have fled the country, mostly to Sudan, Ethiopia and Uganda, it said, citing fighting and food scarcity as the main reasons for their escape.

"It's estimated that more than 3.8 million people, representing a third of South Sudan's population of 11 million, do not have sufficient food," the statement said.

Fighting has escalated in recent weeks with reports of killing, rape, abduction, and burning and destruction of villages, particularly in Unity state.

"Given the worsening security and humanitarian situation on the South Sudanese side of the border, UNHCR and its partners are preparing for the refugee influx to grow," the statement said, adding: "The upcoming rainy season requires that we pre-position relief items as many of the areas where refugees are located can become inaccessible."

To enable continuing humanitarian assistance, the UNHCR is constructing a jetty on the White Nile River and building roads to refugee sites.

The UN agency also revealed that its aid program for South Sudan still lacks funding, which it says leaves many lifesaving activities such as the provision of clean water, sanitation and health services, food and shelter severely underfunded.

South Sudan's ongoing conflict began in December 2013, and has forced some 555,000 South Sudanese to leave the country while some 1.5 million are internally displaced. Endi