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Dozens of people have beenÌýkilled and wounded in continued violence in northern , according to the on Tuesday.

The deaths occurred amid armed clashes in Unity State'sÌý, which has seen devastating attacks in recent months, pan-Arab news website Arabi 21 reported.

The county has witnessed people being burnt alive,Ìýbeheadings and dozens of cases of sexual violence since mid-February, causing 40,000 people to seek refuge elsewhere.

In late April, UN South Sudan chief Nicholas Haysom said: "I am strongly appalled by these horrific attacks on civilians in Leer.

"We must all do everything we can to ensure that victims and survivors get the justice they deserve and receive the care and support they need."

He added: "Impunity on violations of human rights must end and perpetrators [must be] held accountable for these horrible crimes."

The UN's South Sudan mission in the same statement said thatÌý"armed youth" from Koch and Mayendit counties, also in Unity State, had been responsible for a wave of violence.

The UN also said it hadÌýsent more peacekeepers to Leer.

has been plagued by unease since it gained independence from neighbouring Sudan a decade ago.

By 2013, the young country had already been launched into a civil war only brought to a close in 2020.