At least 169 people, including senior local officials, were killed on Sunday after unidentified armed men attacked an area in northern South Sudan, authorities said.
The assault took place in Ruweng Administrative Area, where officials said dozens of armed youths stormed Abiemnom County before dawn.
Ruweng’s Information Minister James Monyluak Mijok claimed the attackers came from neighbouring Unity State and were linked to the Sudan People's Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO). The group denied the allegation, accusing Unity state authorities of politicising the violence.
“The dead include 90 children, women and elderly people, along with 79 members of regional forces, including police,” Mijok said. At least 50 others were wounded and taken to the neighbouring Abyei Administrative Area for treatment.
Mijok told the BBC that the attackers entered Abiemnom around 4:30am local time, when residents were asleep. “Government forces were outnumbered,” he said, adding that homes and markets were set on fire during fighting that lasted up to four hours.
Several senior local officials, including the county commissioner and executive director, were among those killed. Authorities later said security forces had driven the attackers out and regained control of the area.
Mijok also alleged that Unity state officials had prior knowledge of the attack. The Unity state authorities have not responded, and the motive for the assault remains unclear.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said about 1,000 civilians had sought protection near its base. It expressed alarm over the sharp rise in violence in the region.
“Such violence places civilians at grave risk and must stop immediately,” said Anita Kiki Gbeho, officer-in-charge of UNMISS. She said peacekeepers had strengthened security and were working with the government to restore calm. Emergency medical care is being provided to at least 23 wounded people.
Local reports and the AFP news agency said victims were buried in a mass grave on Sunday due to the high number of deaths and ongoing security concerns. A similar attack in Abiemnom last year killed more than 42 civilians.
Meanwhile, violence has also escalated in Jonglei State. Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said 26 staff members were missing after weeks of clashes between government and opposition forces.
MSF has suspended services in Lankien and Pieri, saying one of its facilities in Lankien was hit by a government air strike on 3 February. Many staff members have fled with their families and are now displaced, with limited access to food, water and basic services.
South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, has struggled with conflict, poverty and corruption since independence in 2011. The UN has warned that the country risks returning to full-scale civil war as a 2018 power-sharing deal between President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar continues to unravel.
