At least 169 people, including senior officials, were killed on Sunday in a sudden attack in South Sudan’s northern region, authorities said.
The Ruweng Administrative Area’s Information Minister, James Monyluak Mijok, said dozens of armed youths launched the assault on Abiemnom county before dawn, around 04:30 local time (02:30 GMT), catching residents while they slept. Homes and markets were set on fire, and fighting lasted three to four hours. Among the dead were 90 civilians – including children, women, and the elderly – and 79 members of local security forces, including police. Fifty others were wounded and transferred to the neighbouring Abyei Administrative Area for treatment.
Several senior local officials, including the county commissioner and executive director, were killed. Mijok claimed the attackers came from neighbouring Unity state and were linked to the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO), though the SPLA-IO denied involvement, accusing Unity state authorities of politicising the violence.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) reported that roughly 1,000 civilians sought shelter near its base and condemned the violence, calling for an immediate halt to hostilities. Peacekeepers are providing emergency medical care to at least 23 wounded individuals.
Due to the high casualty count and ongoing security concerns, victims were buried in a mass grave on Sunday. Last year, a similar attack in Abiemnom county left more than 42 civilians dead.
Elsewhere in South Sudan, the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said 26 staff members were missing following weeks of escalating clashes in Jonglei state, forcing the suspension of services in Lankien and Pieri. The NGO also reported that its Lankien facility had been hit by a government air strike on 3 February. Many staff and their families have been displaced, with limited access to food, water, and basic services.
Since gaining independence in 2011, South Sudan has faced civil war, corruption, and poverty. The UN has warned that an “all-out civil war” could return after the 2018 power-sharing deal between President Salva Kiir and his long-time rival Riek Machar unraveled over the past year.
