The head of UNMISS, David Shearer, says the conflict is affecting food security even in the stable states such as Aweil.

He says low provisions arriving in the state and rising food prices indicate that the people are suffering the effects of the conflict taking part in other parts of the country.

Mr. Shearer made the statement during a visit to Aweil, where he met the State Governor, Ronald Ruay Deng.

A statement issued by the mission says that Mr Shearer also heard from UN humanitarian agencies working in the region.

They said many families have migrated north to Sudan because they could either not produce crops or could not afford the high price of staple foods in the market.

Previously, the Governor of the Fashoda State, Altyab Okech Ajang, made a similar statement, saying people were crossing the border to Sudan due to insecurity and hunger. But the UN mission says agencies have stepped in to provide emergency humanitarian aid.

The statement quotes the Governor of Aweil State, Ronald Ruay Deng, as saying that his administration was doing all it could to move people from dependency on emergency food aid to a more resilient rural agricultural.

These include the piloting of a new community farming approach to feed the most vulnerable people.

Mr. Ruayalso told Mr. Shearer about efforts to build understanding between communities, particularly pastoral communities who arrive on a seasonal basis from Sudan.