At least 84 South Sudanese citizens are separated from their families owing to the government's blockade of civilians travelling between the east and west banks of the Nile river in Upper Nile state, the UN's Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

OCHA said the family members are split between some sheltering in the UN base and others in Wau Shilluk across the river. For months, government forces have restricted civilians from traveling from one side to the other.

According to OCHA, the separated citizens include children in the UN base separated from their mother who is in Wau Shilluk for over a month.

However, OCHA pointed out that two weeks ago the government allowed aid workers to use the river to reach Wau Shilluk from Malakal after months of negotiations. So far, aid workers have brought health and other supplies to the area from Malakal.

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