Lack of food in the disputed Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan is fueling conflict between herders and farmers as market prices shoot up.

The year's second harvest was poor due to unusual rains, according to farmers, while bad roads have restricted deliveries of food aid and commercial goods.

Sorghum prices have nearly doubled, with one malwa of sorghum costing 15 SSP, up from 8 SSP in October. One farmer in Abathok said he knows families who have gone three days now without food.

The UN’s World Food Program has delivered food to Kwajok in Warrap state but Abyei RRC authorities predict it won't reach civilians until Christmas. Market traders say they'll be able to lower their prices if the roads are fixed.

In the meantime, the scarcity has led to conflict between cultivators and pastoralists as cattle keepers enter the Abyei region, sometimes damaging crops while grazing their animals in farmers' fields.

One herdsman, Ngor Kiir, said his fellow pastoralists need to be more careful where they drive their cattle. "If a farmer is producing a good crop, we could help them harvest their corn, and then our cattle could benefit from the fodder," he told a local radio station.

Theft of maize is also on the rise amid the food crisis. There are reports of grain stolen from Ganga, Abathok, Wunpeth, and Gakyum. Farmers say they have been forced to maintain 24-hour security of their food stores.