Humanitarian aid agencies operating in Tambura County of Western Equatoria State in South Sudan pulled out from the area following violent clashes last Thursday, officials said.
"There were heavy gunshots on Thursday and this is why these people (aid workers) left. They said they received information from their base that they had to vacate this area and they will come back after seven days and after seven days," Tambura County Commissioner Mathew Mabenge told Radio Tamazuj.
Mabenge said the humanitarian workers were moving to Yambio County for safety reasons.
He claimed more forces would be deployed from Juba to enhance security for civilians.
"They (aid workers) said they will be coming after two to three or seven days. I am urging them to at least hold on for four days because we are having troops coming from Juba for protection,” he said. “The forces will be deployed around Tambura and I don’t think the enemies will enter again.”
When contacted, the state information minister William Adriano Baiki blamed the continued insecurity in the region for the evacuation of humanitarian aid workers from the town.
"As a result of continuous clashes between the army youth and the forces loyal to Nando, the humanitarian agencies who are based in Tambura, in particular, decided to pull out because they should not be caught up in the crossfire, that was the reason they decided to pull out,” said Adriano.
“Yesterday, they called and they informed me about their evacuation out of Tambura County since there are continue clashes in Tambura so they want to pull out their staffs including their operations until when the situation calms down."
According to the minister, the agencies that left the area include the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and World Vision.
Tambura County has witnessed violent clashes that have left several people dead and thousands displaced in the past months.