Juba — A series of attacks on Sunday, March 1, left a total of 169 people dead in Abiemnhom County, in the Ruweng Administrative Area of South Sudan, including 79 soldiers. According to eyewitness accounts from survivors, armed youths from Mayom County in the neighboring Unity State carried out the attacks on South Sudanese soldiers and civilians at around 4:30 a.m.
The UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) had warned of the escalating violence in the region 48 hours earlier. In a statement, the UN mission confirmed that unidentified armed youths attacked the county headquarters on Sunday morning. Among the victims were the Awarpiny County Commissioner and the Executive Director of Abiemnhom County. At least 68 people were injured. The fighting lasted three to four hours until the army regained control of the area. By February 28, over a thousand people had sought refuge at the UNMISS base, where they were taken in by the Mongolian contingent of UN peacekeeping troops. "We pray for all those who have lost their loved ones. May the Lord be with them, comfort them, and give them the strength to overcome the challenges and trauma they are experiencing," said Father Peter Biong, Deputy Secretary General of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Sudan and South Sudan (SSSCBC), in his holmily at the weekly Mass for the Secretariat staff on March 2. Father Biong described a heartbreaking situation and noted that many victims have not yet been able to be buried due to logistical difficulties in the county. This serious escalation of violence is occurring amid increasing instability in South Sudan. Internal political conflicts have undermined the peace achieved after the 2018 agreement to end the five-year civil war, which claimed some 400,000 lives, but which has never been fully implemented. Instability worsened following the arrest of former First Vice President Riek Machar in March last year (see Fides, 5/3/2025).
Meanwhile, Riek Machar's movement, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM/A IO), has denied any involvement in the attack in Abiemnhom. "The SPLM/A IO firmly rejects and strongly condemns the baseless accusations and misleading statements made by the authorities in the Ruweng Administrative Area and Unity State, who claim SPLM/A IO forces were involved in the attack," stated Puok Both Baluang, Machar's press spokesman.
