A/HRC/28/49 between SPLA and the Maban Defence Force, a local pro-SPLA armed group, reportedly due to the local armed group’s reluctance to be integrated into SPLA. The situation in Malakal has remained tense, amid fears that opposition forces might advance towards the town from northern Jonglei, and there were also reports of internal tension within the government forces in Malakal. 7. In Jonglei, while the situation in Bor, the capital, remained calm, the security situation has deteriorated in the northern section of Ayod and Duk counties. There have been reports of heavy fighting between SPLA and SPLM/A in Opposition in Ayod, which remains under SPLA control. SPLA and SPLM/A in Opposition also reportedly clashed in Fangak and Pigi counties in the north-western part of the state between the end of November and early December 2014, resulting in the displacement of thousands of civilians. 8. While the conflict has been largely contained within the north-eastern part of the country in Unity, Upper Nile and Jonglei, there are worrying signs that violence may be spreading to other parts of the country, including the Greater Bahr el Ghazal and the Greater Equatoria regions. In Western Bahr el Ghazal, reports of aerial bombardments in Raga county in November 2014 raised concerns regarding the increasing regional dimensions of the conflict. Reports also indicate that the Justice and Equality Movement, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-North) and other non-South Sudanese militia groups have been involved in fighting in the region. In Eastern Equatoria, following the killing of an SPLA soldier, SPLA soldiers attacked the village of Chukudum in Budi county, from 6 to 7 October, resulting in the displacement of more than 200 people. In central Equatoria, internal SPLA fighting in Juba and Yei around the end of September reportedly resulted in the death of seven SPLA soldiers. B. Protection of civilians 9. While the scale and severity of the fighting have decreased, the conflict continues to take a heavy toll on civilians, with targeted attacks based on ethnicity and large-scale displacements. Reports of gross human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law against civilians by all sides remain widespread. They form part of a now familiar and disturbing pattern in which civilians are targeted and killed during hostilities for perceived or actual affiliation with a group different to the armed element in control. While this targeting has often been on the basis of ethnicity, the abuses described in the present report demonstrate that the animosity has reached deeper into communities, with a growing expectation that everyone must choose sides. 10. By December 2014, more than 1.4 million South Sudanese had been displaced internally, and approximately 467,000 people had fled to surrounding countries. Additionally, roughly 4 million people in the country faced serious food insecurity. Humanitarian access continued to be hampered by fighting and violence perpetrated by both parties to the conflict against aid workers, equipment and infrastructure. In Unity and Upper Nile States, active hostilities and insecurity continued to disrupt humanitarian assistance as well as road and air access. 11. By mid-December 2014, more than 100,000 civilians had been housed in UNMISS compounds — designated “protection of civilians sites” — because they were too afraid to return home, fearing potential violence. The bulk of those internally displaced persons were in Bentiu (43,000 people), Juba (32,000) and Malakal (17,000). Some of the protection of civilians sites in low-lying flood-prone areas had already experienced flooding during the rainy season, with a significant impact on residents’ living conditions, health and sanitation. UNMISS expanded the camps to accommodate the influx of more civilians and enhanced 5