UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- The U.N. Security Council called on Khartoum to allow humanitarian aid workers to reach residents in border states ensnared in regional clashes.
The Security Council expressed "deep and growing alarm" about food insecurity in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states in Sudan. The crisis there "could reach emergency levels" if it's not addressed.
The council called on Khartoum to allow "immediate access" to the states and urged pro-government groups in the area to cooperate fully with aid organizations.
South Sudan and Sudan moved closer to war after disputes erupted over oil in January. South Sudan cut oil production in response to alleged stealing by the government in Khartoum.
U.N. officials have called for a force of 7,000 peacekeepers for the U.N. mission in South Sudan through 2013.
Both sides signed a non-aggression pact recently, though South Sudan said rival forces from the north pounded the region this week.
U.N. officials had said conflict along the border was pushing the region closer to a major humanitarian disaster.
South Sudan gained independence in July as part of a peace agreement that ended a bloody civil war. Border conflicts and ethnic disputes threaten to unravel the peace agreement, however.
