The number of people suffering will increase terribly if the warring parties do not stop the violence, the visiting UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator has said.

Stephen O’Brien has just concluded a four-day visit to the country.

He arrived in Juba on Wednesday last week to personally assess the conditions of the IDP’s in the UN Protection of Civilians sites.

Speaking to the media in Juba, Mr. O’Brien said people in UN Protection of Civilians Sites Both in Juba and Bentiu are in dire need of peace.

“I call on the leadership of the warring parties to listen to the people, and to lay down their arms, stop the violence, reconcile their differences, and commit to sustainable peace,” he stated.

“If the violence continues, the already vast number of people suffering will continue to rise appallingly, as is true the world over leaders must take responsibility for their own action and for those who act on their names.

“The most important benefit for the people of South Sudan is the violence to end now, for the sake of the people and indeed for the future of South of Sudan.”

He urged the Government to ensure the safe passage of Humanitarian Workers to the areas where people are in need of the assistance.

Over 2 million people have fled their homes and sought refuge within South Sudan or in neighboring countries since the violence erupted in December 2013, according to humanitarian groups.

And Oxfam says nearly 4 million people remain in urgent need.