JUBA, Sudan: Fighting between rival communities in a disputed region claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan has killed fifty-four people, including two UN peacekeepers, the United Nations said on Monday, urging calm.
The clashes in Abyei, a contested oil-rich region straddling the border of both countries, started at the weekend, according to local authorities.
The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei said that it strongly condemned these attacks against peacekeepers and civilians, reported western media.
It said that currently, according to local authorities, 52 civilians have been killed, while 64 others are said to be gravely injured.
It said peacekeepers came under fire on Sunday while taking affected civilians from a UNISFA base to a hospital.
A Pakistani peacekeeper was killed, and 4 uniformed personnel and one local civilian sustained wound, it added.
A Ghanaian peacekeeper had been killed on Saturday, UNISFA said, calling for a probe into the violence.
Abyei a flashpoint between Sudan, South Sudan
Located between South Sudan and Sudan, Abyei has been a flashpoint since the South Sudan gained independence in 2011.
Abyei Special Administrative Area’s authorities said that a local rebel militia and armed youths carried out multiple coordinated attacks, beginning on Saturday morning.
Secretary general for the Abyei Special Administrative Area Rou Manyiel Rou aid on Saturday that the violence was tied to a long-running conflict between Twic and Ngok communities.
In a statement issued on Monday, the United States, Britain, and Norway, the international “Troika” that sponsored South Sudan’s independence, said they were very concerned by the escalation of violence in recent months between communities residing in and around Abyei.
