The United Nations has expressed deep concern following another massacre in South Sudan, in which at least 169 people were killed and buried in a mass grave. Local officials have attributed the weekend attacks to intercommunal violence, which come amid growing political instability in the country.
At least 169 people were killed in Abiemnhom, in the Ruweng administrative zone bordering Sudan, according to local authorities, who emphasised that this toll is still provisional.
"People fled in all directions, so we will undoubtedly find more wounded and more bodies," the local government's Minister of Information, James Monyluak, told RFI's correspondent.
The exact reasons for the massacre are currently unknown but local authorities are citing intercommunal violence, against a backdrop of growing political instability in South Sudan.
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According to Monyluak, the attack took place around 4am on Sunday, when a "very large number" of armed Nuer youths from the neighbouring Mayom County, some dressed in military uniforms, stormed Abiemnhom.
Faced with the large number of victims of the attack, the authorities had no choice but to bury them in a mass grave.
Seventy-nine soldiers and police officers were reportedly killed trying to repel the attackers, the correspondent added.
The NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF) announced that it had treated 80 people with gunshot wounds at the hospital in Abyei, located a few kilometers to the west.
Some victims died from their injuries, including a pregnant woman, the NGO said.
Civilians shelter at UN base
United Nations peacekeepers from the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) took in nearly 1,000 civilians at their base, where they provided emergency care to the wounded.
The South Sudanese government condemned what it called "the barbaric attack" in a statement, confirming the killing of two senior local officials.
Minister of Information Ateny Wek Ateny said the casualties include "both civilians and members of law enforcement" and that the incident would be investigated thoroughly.
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The UN pointed to the sharp resurgence of violence in the country in recent months, particularly in Jonglei state, where fighting between supporters of President Salva Kiir and those of opposition leader Riek Machar has intensified, despite the peace agreement that both sides signed in 2018 to end the civil war that began in 2013.
Priyanka Chodhury, spokesperson for UNMISS, told RFI that "the fighting between the two parties that signed the peace agreements has intensified".
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"We are receiving reports of airstrikes and we know that there has been significant population displacement, destruction, and looting of humanitarian infrastructure. This brutal escalation of hostilities is extremely worrying," she added, urging all parties to cease hostilities and engage in constructive dialogue.
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Deteriorating situation
Some 280,000 people have been displaced and humanitarian workers targeted during the clashes in Jonglei in the past two months, according to the UN.
On Monday, MSF said 26 members of its staff were missing following an air strike on one of its facilities. The organisation has suspended medical services in Lankien and Pieri in Jonglei state.
UN rights chief Volker Turk voiced alarm last Friday at the country's deteriorating situation, calling for swift action to avert a return to full-scale civil war.
South Sudan, the world's youngest country, has been beset by civil war, ethnic violence, poverty and massive corruption since it was formed in 2011.
