A Sudanese government official says about 12,000 South Sudanese nationals have crossed the border into Sudan over the last month.

More than 400,000 people have fled their homes and are now displaced in South Soudan or refugees in neighboring countries.

The deputy chargé d‘affaires at the Sudanese Embassy in Juba, Majdi Ahmed, told Eye Radio that the embassy has cleared entry for over 2,000 South Sudanese escaping the violence.

“A large number entered from northern Upper Nile by road and from Unity state, no fewer than 10,000 people, but we don’t have the real number because some of them go through the embassy. We have issued about 2,000 entry visas for South Sudanese citizens since the crisis began and we are still issuing entry visas for South Sudanese,” he said.

Mr Majdi said more than 700 people have applied for a visa.