UN Reports 54 Fatalities in Abyei Clashes Including 2 Peacekeepers
The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) disclosed on Monday that recent intercommunal clashes in the disputed, oil-rich Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan have resulted in the deaths of 52 civilians and two UN peacekeepers.
UNISFA is actively coordinating with local authorities to confirm the numbers of the dead, injured, and displaced, currently estimating 64 civilians wounded in addition to the fatalities. The mission condemned the attacks on civilians and peacekeepers and said that violence against UN personnel may be classified as a war crime under international law.
Efforts to restore peace in the volatile region include proactive measures by UNISFA to protect civilians, along with a call for a swift investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice. Established in 2011 by the UN Security Council, the peacekeeping force has been tasked with monitoring the tense Abyei area. Currently, approximately 5,326 troops are stationed along the border, working to stabilize the situation in this long-contested region.
The Abyei Administrative Area is a disputed territory between Sudan and South Sudan with longstanding intercommunal tensions between the Ngok-Dinka ethnic majority and the pastoral Misseriya population, who migrate through the area seasonally from the north. An attack by Sudanese government forces on Abyei in May 2011 displaced the majority of the Ngok-Dinka population, approximately 105,000 people, to areas south of the River Kiir.
