Fighting between government forces and opposition fighters has raised tensions in Akobo, even as United Nations peacekeepers remain stationed in the town.

The clashes involved the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army‑in‑Opposition.

Thousands of civilians reportedly fled the area after a 72-hour ultimatum issued by the army expired earlier this week.

Despite a government order directing the mission to close its facility, peacekeepers from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) were still present at their temporary operating base in Akobo.

Akobo County is home to about 245,000 people and has also been sheltering thousands displaced by earlier violence in Jonglei State.