The United Nations says a team of peacekeepers have been finally allowed to visit Pajok in Imatong State, where fighting was reported between the SPLA soldiers and some anti-government forces more than a week ago.

This comes days after the UN headquarters in New York complained that the patrol was not allowed by the SPLA to visit the area.

The SPLA spokesman said at the time that the military had not prevented anyone from accessing the area.

In a media briefing in New York last week, the UN said its mission was trying to follow up reports that civilians were killed in the fighting.

Eri Kaneko, the Associate Spokesperson of the Secretary General, said their patrol was prevented twice in many days from accessing Pajok.

Mr Eri said the mission was concerned about this and urged the government to immediately allow the access to pajok to enable the mission to fulfill its mandate, including protection of civilians and reporting on human rights violations.

In response, the deputy military spokesman, Colonel Santo Domic, told Eye Radio that UNMISS did not even need to take permission from the SPLA. He said reports about the denial were not true.

This morning, the spokesperson of UNMISS, Daniel Dickinson, said the peacekeepers had been allowed to the area.

He told Eye Radio that the patrol left Torit for Pajok on Tuesday morning.