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"Beat for Peace" events are being held in 15 countries around the world on the fifth anniversary of the faltering peace deal in Sudan.

A fragile North-South Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which ended a devastating 22-year war between the majority Muslim North and the mainly Christian and animist South, entered its sixth year on Saturday.

Activists, beating their drums, made their presence known as they gathered opposite London's Downing Street on Saturday — joined by demonstrators in 15 countries, including Norway — and called on governments to take action to prevent a deterioration of the situation in Sudan.

Even the United Nations expressed concern Saturday over the flare-up of violence in southern Sudan that has taken at least 150 lives over the past two weeks and displaced thousands.

Ashraf Qazi, the head of the UN mission in Sudan, urged the South's regional government "to investigate these incidents and to redouble their efforts to help de-escalate the rising wave of violence in southern Sudan."

The events were organized by a coalition of groups including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Save Darfur Coalition, and Refugees International. The one-year campaign will urge world powers to prevent more bloodshed in the oil-producing state.

As well as the demonstrations, a film of the global "Beat for Peace" — featuring drummers from five continents — was released to coincide with the launch of the campaign.