Authorities in Tonj North County of South Sudan's Warrap State say more than twenty people, a majority of whom are women and children, were killed in two separate attacks in the past week.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Monday, Tonj North Executive Director Aduot Ayiey Aleu said 12 people were killed on February 13 in the Wun-lach village of Awul Payam in what is suspected to be a retaliatory attack carried out by a group of armed youth from the Manyiel-Jur area.

Ayiey said four people were also injured in the dawn attack in which eight children, two men, and two women were killed.

The local official stated that the attack followed a similar attack on February 9 on the Manyiel-Jur village where 15 people were killed, most of them women, children, and the elderly.

According to Ayiey, none of the attackers has been arrested but security personnel is holding three chiefs from the affected areas for investigations.

"The criminals fled, but we arrested three sultans for the areas in which the incidents occurred by order of the state government. Anyone who allows the youth of his region to launch attacks, we will arrest him," he affirmed.

He said the security situation in Tonj North has deteriorated in recent times due to revenge killings between the communities.