Closely armed assailants attacked civilians within the villages of Malual Aleu, Banton, Awolnhom, Abathok, Majbong, Awal, and east of Rumamier, utilizing rocket-propelled grenades and mortars, reportedly over a land dispute.
At the very least 37 persons are reported to have been killed and a number of other others injured, together with girls and youngsters. Villages had been additionally set on fireplace and 1000’s of cattle had been stolen.
“UNISFA strongly denounces the continuing violence, which is escalating intercommunal tensions and threatening the delicate peace,” the mission mentioned in a statement on Monday.
UNISFA is making all efforts to revive calm, defend civilians, and have interaction with native authorities, group leaders, civil society, and different stakeholders to forestall retaliatory assaults, it added.
The mission has additionally elevated land and air patrols to discourage additional violence and defend civilians.
‘Blue helmets’ attacked
Based on UNISFA, peacekeepers serving with the mission had been additionally focused through the clashes.
An armoured personnel provider got here underneath heavy fireplace throughout an ambush, and UN ‘blue helmets’ at a base in Marial Achak had been fired upon earlier than the attackers had been repelled.
No fatalities had been reported.
Surge in clashes
The bloodshed got here every week after greater than 50 individuals, together with two UN peacekeepers, were killed in comparable assaults on civilians over land disputes.
UNISFA peacekeepers are at present sheltering and offering primary assist to greater than 2,000 of these displaced in its bases.
UNISFA mandate
In June 2011, the Security Councilauthorized the deployment of UN peacekeepers to the disputed Abyei space, which straddles Sudan and South Sudan and claimed by each.
The Council’s motion got here in response to rampant violence and inhabitants displacement within the area as South Sudan was making ready to formally declare independence from Sudan on 9 July 2011, culminating the 2005 peace accord.
Useful resource-rich Abyei had witnessed scores of lethal clashes that drove over 100,000 individuals from their houses within the weeks earlier than the Safety Council determination.
