Unity State

The UN Organization for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says almost 8,000 people died in the conflict in the former Unity state between 2014 and 2015 alone, most of whom were children.

It says this is according to a survey carried out in various communities in the area by the office of the Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan.

The UNOCHA says about 7,100 were killed in violence while 800 others drowned in swamps as they fled attacks.

In a statement, the UNOCHA says those who drowned include more than 600 children at the age of five and below.

It says some 4,000 children were also separated from their families, and almost 900 abducted, most of whom were women.

The Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan, Sue Lautze says people suffered both violence and inaccessibility to humanitarian assistance and protection at intense periods in 2015.

The statement says most of the households in the former Unity state experienced at least one direct shock last year, including death, abduction, displacement or separation of family members.