The UN says it is planning to airlift food aid to thousands of refugees affected by the violence in South Sudan.

On Friday, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) announced its plans to airlift and airdrop food aid to refugees and others in desperate need in South Sudan.

“Because our normal supply routes are disrupted, WFP will be using a combination of airlifts and airdrops to replenish the stocks in the Maban County refugee camps,” the UN agency said in a statement.

The WFP said the “crisis has seriously damaged food security” in South Sudan.

The agency also warned that the violence in the country was “pushing millions further into hunger and severely complicating... efforts to provide relief.”

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Adrian Edwards has warned that thousands of Sudanese refugees in neighboring South Sudan are facing insecurity and a severe shortage of basic necessities.

The UN is currently providing care for some 130,000 Sudanese refugees from the troubled Blue Nile state who are living in camps in Maban County of South Sudan’s Upper Nile state.

The backdrop to the turmoil in South Sudan is the battle between government troops loyal to President Salva Kiir, who is from the Dinka ethnic group, and forces loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar, who is from the Nuer ethnic group.

The clashes initially erupted on the outskirts of the capital, Juba, on December 15, 2013.

The conflict has taken toll on the lives of thousands of people. Reports say nearly 800,000 people in South Sudan have become internally displaced as a result of the violence.