The United Nations peacekeepers successfully evacuated more than 100 civilians, predominantly women and children, from a village in the contested Abyei region after violent clashes erupted between armed forces, as reported by a U.N. spokesperson on Friday.
This oil-rich territory remains a point of contention between Sudan and South Sudan. The recent turmoil began earlier this week, involving elements of the unified forces of the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF), according to Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the U.N. Secretary-General.
In response to the escalating situation, the U.N. Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) transported the civilians from Malual Aleu village to a safe haven at its peacekeeping base in Kadhian.
“At the base, the civilians are receiving shelter, food, water, and medical support,” Dujarric explained during a press briefing in New York. Additionally, over 90 other civilians sought refuge at the mission’s base in Rumamier, located in the southern part of the Abyei area.
Dujarric noted that the mission’s Quick Reaction Force has intensified patrols in the region to deter further escalation, in line with its mandate to protect civilians in this disputed border territory.
South Sudanese army spokesperson Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang indicated that the incident, which occurred on Tuesday, was not politically motivated but resulted from a “misunderstanding” between two officers. He provided varying accounts of the incident’s origins, suggesting it might have stemmed from an argument at a tea shop or a personal dispute involving a woman.
“One version suggests it was a love triangle, with two men involved with the same woman,” Lul stated during a press conference in Juba. “An officer from SPLA-IO opened fire on an SSPDF captain, killing him instantly, which led to a retaliatory exchange of gunfire between their bodyguards.”
The conflict quickly escalated from a market area to a checkpoint and barracks, resulting in the deaths of 14 servicemen—eight from the SSPDF and six from the SPLA-IO, a rival armed faction.
Local commander Lt. Gen. Peter Bawa Jamus , identify the officers involved as a second lieutenant and a captain, and explaining that the shooting was ignited when the lieutenant discovered the captain conversing with his wife.
In the aftermath of the clashes, the unity of the force has been compromised, with Jamus reporting that over 400 former SPLA-IO soldiers, part of the unified unit, have deserted their posts across several villages, retreating north toward the Abyei Administrative Area.