The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday that an order by South Sudan's army to evacuate the opposition held town of Akobo earlier this month, forced around 100,000 people to flee across the border into Ethiopia.

Akobo, in eastern Jonglei State, has become the latest flashpoint as fighting between the government and opposition pushes South Sudan toward conflict. The army ordered the evacuation, including foreign aid agencies, on March 6 and says it now controls the town, though reports on the ground remain conflicting and unverifiable due to limited communications.

"Violence and conflict are raging across Jonglei, creating a deteriorating situation for children," UNICEF said. Many have fled to Ethiopia or safer areas in Jonglei and Upper Nile states.

The agency added that Akobo hospital has been abandoned, looted, and closed. 

Rates of malnutrition among displaced children are "worryingly high," and 28 health and nutrition facilities in Jonglei have been destroyed, looted, or shut this year, amid a cholera outbreak.

South Sudan gained independence in 2011 but quickly descended into civil war and remains plagued by extreme poverty and corruption.