PIBOR, South Sudan, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- The United Nations has begun a "massive emergency operation" to help those affected by clashes in South Sudan's Jonglei state.
The operation is aimed at helping 50,000 people who have fled the state because of clashes between rival ethnic groups, the BBC reported Friday.
U.N. spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs said food aid has begun for 2,000 people.
"Many of [the displaced] have fled into bush, some of them have walked for 10 days. ... They are really exhausted," she said.
On Thursday, South Sudan declared a disaster in Jonglei after some 6,000 ethnic Lou Nuer fighters attacked the area around Pibor, outnumbering U.N. and South Sudanese forces.
Byrs said Pibor was now "calm" and about 4,700 people had returned, but "houses have been burnt and looted."
"Parts of the town have been burnt, our facilities were completely looted, but people are coming back and are not afraid any more, it is stable now," said Parthesarathy Rajendran, head of mission for the charity Medecins sans Frontieres.
The United Nations estimates about 350,000 people were displaced during clashes in 2010.
