The death toll from a raid carried out by gunmen in Ethiopia's border with South Sudan has risen to more than 200 people, officials say.

Armed men attacked Ethiopia's Gambela region on Friday, killing 208 people and wounding 75 others, Government spokesman Getachew Reda said on Sunday.

Getachew said the assailants also kidnapped 108 children and took 2,000 heads of livestock. “Ethiopian Defense Forces are taking measures. They are closing in on the attackers,” he added.

He said 60 of the assailants have been killed in clashes with Ethiopian troops.

The Gambela region is home to more than 284,000 South Sudanese refugees, who have fled conflict in their country. It is also home to Ethiopian and South Sudanese armed groups that regularly attack government installations and soldiers.

South Sudanese officials did comment on the raid. The country plunged into chaos in December 2013, when fighting erupted outside the capital, Juba, between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and defectors led by rebel leader Riek Machar.

The fighting has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced over two million others.

The warring sides reached an internationally-mediated peace deal in August 2015 and agreed to share out ministerial positions in January.