JUBA (Reuters) – Local officials reported that six people, including a senior local administrator, were killed in an ambush by armed men in the Abyei region, which is claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan. The area, rich in oil, frequently experiences violence as rival factions of the Dinka ethnic group, Twic Dinka from South Sudan’s neighboring Warrap State, and Ngok Dinka from Abyei, dispute the location of an administrative boundary.
The attack occurred while Abyei Deputy Chief Administrator Noon Deng and his team were returning from an official visit to Rummamer county, where they were celebrating the New Year. They were ambushed along the road from Abyei to Aneet town, leading to the deaths of his driver, two bodyguards, and two people from national security.
“His driver and two bodyguards plus two people of national security were all killed,” Tereza Chol, a South Sudanese lawmaker, informed Reuters. Bulis Koch, the information minister for Abyei Administrative Area, blamed the attack on armed youth from Twic County of Warrap State and stated that the bodies had not been retrieved as of Monday morning.
William Wol, Abyei’s counterpart in the Warrap State, said it was still premature “to point fingers.” The latest attack comes after ethnic clashes in November left dozens dead in the region.
Abyei, situated on the ill-defined border between Sudan and South Sudan, has been claimed by both countries since South Sudan declared independence in 2011. It holds a special administrative status, governed by an administration comprising officials appointed by both countries.
South Sudan descended into civil war shortly after gaining independence, pitting President Salva Kiir and his allies against Vice President Riek Machar. Although a peace agreement was signed in 2018 and is largely holding, the transitional government has been slow to unify the various factions of the military.
(Reporting by Waakhe Simon Wudu; Writing by Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Jan Harvey)
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