The British government says it has sent a senior diplomat to South Sudan to support diplomatic efforts to end the violence.
The United States and Ethiopia are leading efforts to open peace talks on the crisis.
Britain's Foreign Office said today its political director Simon Gass had arrived in Juba and will be working closely with Norwegian and US envoys there.
Foreign Secretary William Hague called the targeting of civilians and UN peacekeepers unacceptable, adding that the UK supports a proposed UN Security Council resolution to increase the force strength of the UN mission in Sudan.
