Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has demanded they be allowed to access riverside communities in South Sudan's Upper Nile state because children are at risk of dying without medical and nutritional care.

The group said tens of thousands of people affected by recent fighting in Upper Nile are exposed to disease outbreaks and may risk starvation in the absence of consistent relief.

The threat of violence as well as blockades on humanitarian supplies by river have ground most humanitarian activities along the river to a halt in the last month, Radio Tamazuj reported earlier this week.

MSF said its teams have only been able to reach civilians in the west bank village of Wau Shilluk, which is in rebel hands, once in the last six weeks, leaving 77 children with severe acute malnutrition without the care they need.

"There is currently no way to resupply them with essential ready-to-use therapeutic food," MSF said.

Meanwhile, the group said it also had to suspend activities in Melut town, on the government-controlled east bank, twice in the past six weeks, leaving 20,000 displaced people at Denthoma 1 camp without medical care.

MSF urged the authorities on all sides of the conflict to allow humanitarian access to civilians.

"Our sole agenda is to provide assistance to those in need, regardless of their political affiliation, race, ethnicity or the area they are living in," the group said.

The last two months have seen a significant uptick in fighting in Upper Nile as rebels loyal to Riek Machar have tried to take Malakal and the Paloich oil fields.

Civilians treated for grenade and gunshot wounds

MSF also noted an increase in violence toward civilians in Upper Nile state, but said people do not have any place to run for safety.

Earlier this week, the medical charity's team in Malakal treated 36 civilians, including 16 women and five children, who were attacked while traveling in a truck. The civilians had blast injuries caused by grenades and bullet wounds.

"With Malakal town on high security alert, and a heavy military presence, many people have fled to the nearby [United Nations] ‘protection of civilians’ site," the group said. "However, the site is not a place of safety; MSF treated nine people wounded in a shooting attack which directly targeted the site in early July."

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South Sudan govt shuts down Nile food barges as civilian hunger increases (21 Jul.)