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Gunmen attacked villagers within the oil-rich area of Abyei claimed by each Sudan and South Sudan, leaving at the least 52 individuals useless, together with a UN peacekeeper, and 64 wounded, a regional official mentioned Sunday.
The motive for the assault Saturday night was not instantly clear, but it surely was suspected to revolve round a land dispute, Bulis Koch, Abyei info minister, instructed The Related Press in a phone interview from Abyei.
Lethal ethnic violence has been widespread within the area, the place Twic Dinka tribal members from neighboring Warrap State are locked in a land dispute with Ngok Dinka from Abyei over the Aneet space, situated on the border.
The attackers in Saturday’s violence had been armed youths from the Nuer tribe who migrated to Warrap state final 12 months due to flooding of their areas, Koch mentioned.
In an announcement, the United Nations Interim Safety Pressure for Abyei (UNISFA) condemned the violence that killed the peacekeepers.
UNIFSA confirmed intercommunal clashes happened within the Nyinkuac, Majbong and Khadian areas, resulting in casualties and the evacuation of civilians to UNISFA bases.
“The UNISFA base in Agok got here underneath assault by an armed group. The mission repelled the assault, however tragically a Ghanaian peacekeeper was killed,” the assertion mentioned.
Sudan and South Sudan have disagreed over management of the Abyei area since a 2005 peace deal ended many years of civil struggle between Sudan’s north and south. Each Sudan and South Sudan declare possession of Abyei, whose standing was unresolved after South Sudan turned unbiased of Sudan in 2011.
The area’s majority Ngok Dinka individuals favor South Sudan, whereas the Misseriya nomads who come to Abyei to search out pasture for his or her cattle favor Sudan. Presently, the area is underneath the management of South Sudan.
An African Union panel proposed a referendum for Abyei, however there was disagreement over who may vote. Presently, the area is underneath the management of South Sudan.
Intercommunal and cross-border clashes have escalated since South Sudan deployed its troops to Abyei in March.
