The unrest began earlier this month in an-Nil al-Azraq (Blue Nile) state in the southeast, which borders Ethiopia and South Sudan, and concerns a land dispute between the two Hausa and Birta ethnic groups.
During the week, tensions escalated in the town of Wad el-Mahi. According to the authorities, there is a high risk that the death toll will rise further because the emergency services have not been able to reach the center of the fighting.
Video clips show burnt houses, charred bodies and women and children fleeing on foot. Thousands of people have fled to other cities, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
At the same time, the organization states that a total of over 211,000 people this year have been forced to leave their homes around the country due to unrest.
The clashes are taking place as the military junta that rules Sudan soon celebrates a year in power. The junta took power in a coup last fall, but has failed to maintain order in remote areas to the south.