A federal judge in Boston has told the Trump administration it must to maintain custody of migrants whom the US government has allegedly flown to South Sudan or other countries in recent days amid heightened concerns over the administration’s aggressive approach to deportations.

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has reshuffled the senior leadership in the ruling party, according to an official decree, as the country faces fresh fighting between rival armed factions and widespread speculation about Kiir's succession plans.

The State Department’s announcement comes months after U.S. officials found evidence that Sudan’s military had used chemical weapons against its paramilitary rival.

Massachusetts federal district judge Brian Murphy ruled May 21 that the flight violated his April order that forbade the government from sending any migrants to third countries without providing them clear information about where they were going and giving them time to raise any concerns about being sent to that country.

The United Nations rights chief urged on Friday for warring sides in South Sudan to pull back from the brink, warning that the human rights situation risks further deterioration as fighting intensifies.