United Nations: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday strongly condemned a surge of fighting in South Sudan, branding the violence "unacceptable."

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Ban called on President Salva Kiir and former vice president Riek Machar to "immediately cease all military operations", the latest in a string of UN appeals to the leaders to turn away from war.

The world`s youngest nation, South Sudan has been torn by conflict since December 2013 when Kiir accused Machar of attempting a coup.

Fighting in recent days has been fierce in Upper Nile state, close to oil production zones that are a prime source of revenue for Kiir`s government.

"This fighting is unacceptable," Ban said in a statement.

The UN Security Council threatened in March to impose sanctions on those who obstruct peace and adopted a resolution that sets up a committee to begin work on the measures.

The UN chief said he was "appalled" by reports that government troops had burned villages and killed and raped civilians during their offensive in Unity state.

After four civilians sheltering at a UN compound were killed in the cross-fire, Ban demanded "immediate national investigations" to hold those responsible accountable.

The war has left over half of the country`s 12 million people in need of aid, with 2.5 million people facing severe food insecurity, according to the UN.