Thousands Displaced in South Sudan Amid Ongoing Abyei Conflict 🆘

Thousands of families in South Sudan have fled the fighting in Abyei. Some left everything behind.

Sudan and South Sudan both claim the disputed border region, which Khartoum took in May 2011 - triggering the exodus of tens of thousands - after a southern attack on an army convoy.

(SOUNDBITE) (Dinka) DISPLACED WOMAN, ACIEI LUAL, SAYING:

"I saw people falling from my left, from my right and behind me, but god did not say it was my day to die. We stepped over lots of dead bodies and we kept going because we were not shot. We escaped and then hid under some bushes. And then when we were there, we heard another bomb nearby, so we decided to run again until we crossed the river."

The international red cross has stepped in, distributing food to some 15,000 people.

The U.N. is pleading with both countries to withdraw troops from the Abyei region -- known for its fertile grazing land -- amid international fears that repeated border clashes could escalate to war.

South Sudan seceded from Sudan in July under a peace deal that ended decades of civil war that killed more than 2 million people.

Such a vote was never held in Abyei as both sides were unable to agree on who can participate.

Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters.