Local media outlets put the number of those killed in Abyei at 27, but the UN has not given any numbers.

The killings are suspected to have been carried out by Arab Misseriya militias from Sudan.

The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) says it believes more than 50,000 could have been displaced since the fighting began in February, with more than 24,000 people registered in Twic County further south in Warrap State.

As a result of the violence, humanitarian operations in affected areas were suspended and aid workers relocated for their safety.

The US embassies in both Juba and Khartoum have expressed concern at the escalation violence in Abyei and also in Agok, calling on both nations to return to dialogue and give political backing to UN peacekeepers to deescalate the attacks.