Three aid workers and 11 civilians were killed in early January in attacks by gunmen in South Sudan, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and local authorities said Wednesday.
Eleven civilians and three aid workers were attacked and killed by gunmen in the Abyei administrative area and Jonglei. The attack, which was attributed to youth from Twic county, had fourteen fatalities which included women and children as reported by Ajak Dend who is the area’s spokesperson.
The region where the attack occurred is under UN protection and is on the border between Sudan and South Sudan. In 2021, five more were killed and nine more lost their lives in similar attacks in 2022.
The Office of the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), has appealed to the authorities to bring the killers to justice and reinforce the protection of its staff in South Sudan who are striving to deliver assistance to vulnerable people including children, women, and the elderly.
Two victims were reportedly killed in Rumameer village while the third victim is said to have been killed in Duk county as they guarded humanitarian goods in the region and the commodities looted during the incident.
The Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim in South Sudan, Mr. Peter van der Auweraert, has reminded all parties to the conflict that they have an obligation under international Humanitarian Law to protect and respect civilians, the wounded, the sick, and those captured.
He urged the appropriate authorities to reestablish order and safeguard civilians, especially aid workers and their resources.
