The head of the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan ( UNMISS), David Shearer, on Thursday urged warring parties to stop suffering of citizens in the northeastern Upper Nile region as fighting intensified in the area.

Shearer said in a statement seen by Radio Tamazuj that about  25,000 people have reportedly fled their homes on the West Bank of the River Nile over the last few days following increased military activity.

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

Shearer further said humanitarian workers were evacuated from Kodok to Aburoc on Monday following advice from South Sudanese forces on the ground. Last night those humanitarian workers continued to further locations.

“I am extremely concerned for those estimated 50,000 displaced people currently thought to be in Aburoc,” said Shearer.

He called on the SPLA forces to show restraint, avoid the death of innocent civilians and protect all South Sudanese citizens. “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,” he said.

UNMISS said it is seeking to gain access to Aburoc as quickly as possible in order to assess the security situation after it was denied clearance by government  forces on Thursday to launch an air patrol to 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.”