According to a U.N. statement, fighting between rival local groups in the Abyei region on South Sudan’s border with Sudan resulted in the deaths of a United Nations peacekeeper from Ghana and a few civilians.
The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) said in a statement that the fighting took place in three different places in the Abyei region on Saturday.
According to the statement, this resulted in casualties and the evacuation of civilians to UNISFA bases to protect those who were involved in the violence.
Even though the attack on one UNISFA base was repulsed during the fighting, “tragically a Ghanaian peacekeeper was killed during the incident,” the statement said.
According to the U.N. mission, the number of people slain, injured, and uprooted by the violence is still being confirmed.
In South Sudan, which is still recovering from years of a terrible conflict that pitted Salva Kiir, the country’s leader, against Riek Machar, his former deputy, in a conflict between rival tribes, clashes between various communities are frequent.
Which tribes were involved in the clashes on Saturday was not stated in the U.N. statement.
With abundant oil resources, the Abyei region is prone to violent outbursts. There is a conflict between opposing Dinka ethnic factions regarding the location of an administrative boundary. Between Sudan and South Sudan, which separated from Sudan in 2011, there is disagreement over who owns Abyei.
