The blossoming conflicts stand between supporters of President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar's armed groups. The two camps have previously fought a five-year-long civil war that led to a fragile peace agreement between Kiir and Machar in 2018.
Violence is currently concentrated in the northeastern part of the country, where a UN helicopter was attacked when UN personnel attempted to rescue stranded soldiers. A UN employee and a general were killed in the attack.
According to the UN, there are around 6,000 armed persons in the area, who are said to be part of Vice President Machar's so-called White Army. Earlier in March, the armed groups captured a military facility in Nasir.
"South Sudan is balancing precariously between hope for peace and the danger of war," notes the organization Igad.
