JUBA: Following clashes between rival local groups in the Abyei region on the border between South Sudan and Sudan, a United Nations peacekeeper from Ghana and a few civilians were killed, according to a UN statement.
The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) said in a statement that the clashes took place in three different locations in the Abyei region on Saturday.
To ensure the safety of civilians caught in the violence, UNISFA evacuated them to its bases. Unfortunately, during the clashes, one of the UNISFA bases came under attack, leading to the untimely death of a Ghanaian peacekeeper. The UN mission is actively working to verify the precise number of casualties, injuries, and displaced individuals resulting from the conflict.
South Sudan has been grappling with frequent clashes between various communities, a consequence of the enduring impact of a devastating war that pitted the country’s leader, Salva Kiir, against his former deputy, Riek Machar, involving rival tribes. The statement from the UN did not specify the tribes involved in Saturday’s clashes.
The Abyei region, renowned for its oil resources, has been prone to recurring episodes of violence. Within the region, factions of the Dinka ethnic group are embroiled in a dispute over the location of an administrative boundary. Additionally, the ownership of Abyei itself is a subject of contention between Sudan and South Sudan, the latter having declared independence from Sudan in 2011.
