(Bloomberg) -- The United Nations suspended some of its humanitarian relief in South Sudan after the government blocked fuel imports needed to keep operations going.

UN-contracted trucks were barred from entering the country after the imposition of new taxes, and the government has yet to provide clearance for the vehicles to continue on their journey, UN South Sudan said in a statement on Tuesday. As a result, the mission’s fuel reserves are running out.

“This situation will prevent the delivery of millions of dollars of aid during a severe humanitarian crisis and divert already stretched donor funding meant to support the most vulnerable,” the UN said. Because of the lack of fuel, the UN is cutting back peacekeeping patrols, reducing support for electoral processes and suspending some humanitarian aid drops.

About 9 million people in South Sudan need humanitarian assistance, including almost 640,000 who have fled conflict in neighboring Sudan over the past year. Humanitarian funding in the East African nation is “at breaking point,” with only 18% received of the $1.8 billion that’s needed this year.

The disruption to aid marks a further escalation in crises affecting the region and specifically South Sudan, which has already been monitoring the effects of the neighboring conflict on supply lines.

Read More: One Year On, Sudan’s Civil War Is a ‘Forgotten Crisis’

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