Two United Nations peacekeepers have been killed and seven others injured after armed men ambushed a UN patrol in South Sudan’s Jonglei State.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said the patrol was travelling to the remote area of Pajut on Monday when it came under attack.
Three peacekeepers, two South Sudanese police officers and two civilian staff members were wounded in the incident. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the two peacekeepers killed, as well as the three injured peacekeepers, were Ethiopian nationals.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Following the ambush, UNMISS deployed a Quick Reaction Force to secure the area and assist with the emergency response.
“Such deadly violence targeting UNMISS personnel who are serving to support peace in South Sudan is unacceptable,” the head of UNMISS, Anita Kiki Gbeho, said.
The latest deaths bring to nine the number of UN peacekeepers killed by militias in South Sudan since the beginning of the year, according to Dujarric. He warned that attacks against UN peacekeepers could constitute war crimes under international law.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the ambush and called for an immediate investigation and the prosecution of those responsible.
“The Secretary-General reaffirms the United Nations’ commitment to stand with the victims and their families during this profoundly difficult time,” Dujarric said.
The attack comes amid renewed insecurity in South Sudan, where government forces have been fighting fighters and militias aligned with opposition leader Riek Machar.
Machar, who remains under house arrest, was suspended as vice president last year and faces charges including treason and other offences. He has rejected the allegations as politically motivated.
The 2018 peace agreement between President Salva Kiir and Machar has effectively broken down, raising fears that the country could slide back into a full-scale civil war.
UN figures show that more than 450 incidents targeting humanitarian workers and aid assets were recorded between January and July, more than twice the number reported during the same period last year.
The latest escalation followed the seizure of government outposts in Jonglei by opposition forces in December. Government troops launched a counteroffensive in January involving aerial bombardments and ground operations, despite continued commitments to the peace agreement.
The United States has repeatedly urged Kiir and Machar to return to negotiations, warning of the growing risk of a renewed civil war and calling for urgent steps to restore dialogue under the 2018 peace deal.
