Land clearing is being done in the South Sudanese capital of Juba to clear land from civilians.
The latest round of fighting has claimed the lives of at least 12 people, according to local and international aid groups.
The U.N. says at least 11,000 people have been killed and 1.3 million displaced in South Africa, with about two-thirds of the country’s population displaced.
South Sudan’s new leader, Salva Kiir, has promised to restore stability to the country.
He has accused the U.S. of backing the South’s secessionist government in 2011 and has promised a swift return to the capital.
Last month, the U of S, UN, European Union and other international aid agencies called for a ceasefire to allow for peace talks to be held.
A U.K. diplomat told The Associated Press on Friday that the U, S. and others have been urging Kiir to halt the clearing of land, which he said was “incredibly damaging.”
The UN’s chief human rights envoy has also called on the South to stop the land clearing, which is considered illegal under international law.
Kiir has said the land is necessary for the health and well-being of the population, and that the area was seized by the South as part of its independence from Sudan in 2011.
