UN urges S. Sudan's warring parties to stop suffering of people in Upper Nile region

The senior envoy of the United Nations for South Sudan on Thursday urged warring parties to stop suffering of people in the northeastern Upper Nile region as fighting intensified in the world's youngest nation.

The call, by David Shearer, who heads the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), said about 25,000 people have reportedly fled their homes on the West Bank of River Nile over the last few days following increased military activity.

"Warring parties should stop the suffering they are causing, take responsibility for the lives they have destroyed and to uphold their responsibility to protect civilians," Shearer said in a statement released in Juba.

It is reported that thousands have fled to the town of Aburoc, 30 km north of Kodok, where there are an estimated 50,000 people, although some are trying to cross over the border into Sudan after government forces took control of Kodok on Wednesday.

Shearer said humanitarian workers were evacuated from Kodok to Aburoc on Monday following advice from South Sudanese forces on the ground. The aid workers were moved again to locations further away on Wednesday night.

"I am extremely concerned for those estimated 50,000 displaced people currently thought to be in Aburoc," said Shearer, who is also the special representative of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

"I call on the government SPLA forces to show restraint, avoid the death of innocent civilians and protect all South Sudanese citizens," Shearer said. "I also urge any opposition fighters who may be hiding in the town to detach themselves, so the civilian population does not become a target."

UNMISS is seeking to gain access to Aburoc as quickly as possible in order to assess the security situation. However, the mission was denied clearance by government SPLA forces on Thursday to launch an air patrol over the town.

Shearer raised the issue of the ongoing conflict in Upper Nile region and other parts of South Sudan during his address to the UN Security Council in New York on Tuesday.

He told the 15-member council that despite what appeared to be an attempt by the parties to achieve victory through military means, "a political solution is the only way forward for South Sudan."

According to the UN, the Upper Nile region has been a focus of military activity over the last several months. Endit