ADDIS ABABA, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Workneh Gebeyehu has called for restraint and dialogue to ease rising tensions in South Sudan.

The East African bloc's executive secretary, in a statement issued late Wednesday, expressed "deep concern" over the escalating tensions and armed clashes in South Sudan's Nasir County.

The latest developments "pose a risk to the hard-won gains made in the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) and threaten peace in the country," Gebeyehu said.

He called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint, reaffirm their commitment to the R-ARCSS, and prioritize dialogue and reconciliation as the only sustainable path to peace, ensuring the protection of civilians and stability of the region.

The eight-member East African bloc has decided to dispatch a high-level delegation to assess the situation on the ground and engage with the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity on measures to restore calm and advance the peace process, Gebeyehu said.

IGAD, as the guarantor of the revitalized peace accord, reaffirms its steadfast commitment to supporting the agreement's full implementation, he said.

Clashes erupted in mid-February between the South Sudan People's Defense Forces and armed civilian groups in the country's Nasir County.

Tensions escalated after the government announced plans to deploy new forces to Nasir County to rotate troops stationed in the area for several years.

More than 20 people have been reported killed and several others injured on the outskirts of the now-deserted town of Nasir, located near the border between South Sudan and Ethiopia. Enditem

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