New tensions between the two Sudans. At least 52 civilians and two peacekeepers were killed in several ethnically motivated attacks on Saturday and Sunday in the Abyei region, a disputed oil-rich border zone between Sudan and South Sudan, the UN deplored on Monday January 29, called for calm.
Abyei, a regular scene of clashes, has been placed under UN protection since the independence of South Sudan in 2011.
“Currently, according to local authorities, 52 civilians have lost their lives, while 64 others are believed to be seriously injured,” lamented the United Nations Interim Force (FISNUA) in a statement, saying it was “concerned by the continuation of intercommunity clashes.” .
Two peacekeepers, a Ghanaian and a Pakistani, were also killed, according to the UN force, which "strongly condemned these attacks against civilians and peacekeepers, recalling that violence against peacekeepers can constitute a crime of war under international law.
The UN “reiterated its call for a rapid investigation so that the perpetrators [of these attacks] are held accountable for their actions.”
According to the administrative authority of Abyei, "armed youths" from the Dinka Twic ethnic group, coming from the neighboring state of Warrap, and rebels carried out several attacks on Saturday, notably against the Nyinkuac market in the town of 'Abyei, the main town of the region, as well as in the areas of Nyinkuac, Majbong and Khadian.
A Ghanaian peacekeeper was killed on Saturday in an attack carried out "by an armed group" against a Fisnua base in Agok, about 40 km south of Abyei, the UN said. A Pakistani soldier was killed on Sunday by "heavy fire" on UN vehicles transporting injured civilians to a hospital, the same source added on Monday.
With AFP
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