Two UN peacekeepers in South Sudan were killed on Monday. Armed men ambushed their patrol as it headed towards a remote part of Jonglei State. The United Nations Mission in South Sudan confirmed the attack in a statement from Juba.
The convoy was travelling to Pajut, a town in a region that has seen repeated bouts of fighting this year. UNMISS said seven other people were hurt in the assault. Those injured include three peacekeepers, two officers from the South Sudan National Police Service and two civilian staff.
Unidentified armed individuals opened fire on the patrol without warning, according to the UNMISS statement. The mission has since deployed a Quick Reaction Force to the area. Its task is to help secure the route and support anyone still needing medical care.
Anita Kiki Gbeho, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and head of UNMISS, condemned the ambush in strong terms. She said such deadly violence targeting personnel serving to support peace in South Sudan is completely unacceptable. Gbeho extended condolences to the families of the two peacekeepers who died and wished the injured a swift recovery. She also urged the relevant authorities to conduct a thorough, prompt investigation.
UNMISS has warned that attacks on its personnel could amount to war crimes under international law. The mission has used that description more than once in recent months as violence in Jonglei has escalated.
Monday’s ambush adds to a grim run of attacks on UN peacekeepers in South Sudan. Jonglei has been gripped by clashes between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition since late December. That is according to OCHA, the UN’s humanitarian coordination body.
The fighting has displaced hundreds of thousands of people. It has also repeatedly disrupted aid delivery, with humanitarian workers becoming targets in several separate incidents this year.
South Sudan is one of the world’s youngest and most conflict affected nations. It gained independence in 2011, only to slide into civil war within two years. Pockets of instability, including in Jonglei, have persisted through the peace process that followed. Peacekeepers assigned to protect civilians there face growing risks each time a convoy leaves base. The toll on UN peacekeepers in South Sudan has been rising for months.
For families in Pajut and the wider county, Monday’s attack is a reminder that the arrangements meant to hold the region together remain fragile. Convoys travelling the same roads, whether military, police or humanitarian, now face similar exposure. The latest bloodshed is unlikely to ease those worries.
No group has claimed responsibility for the ambush, and UNMISS has not named a suspect. Investigators are expected to examine the area near Pajut as part of the inquiry Gbeho has called for. An unclaimed attack on UN peacekeepers in South Sudan makes that inquiry harder from the outset.
The deaths bring renewed attention to the dangers facing UN peacekeepers in South Sudan. Security incidents involving international personnel have piled up since fighting intensified in Jonglei earlier this year. UNMISS has repeatedly appealed to South Sudanese authorities and armed actors on all sides to allow safe passage for its patrols and for humanitarian convoys.
The security situation facing UN peacekeepers in South Sudan has become increasingly difficult as armed groups continue to operate across conflict-prone regions of Jonglei State.
For now, the priority for UNMISS is treating the injured and securing the road into Pajut. The mission said further details on the case would follow once the investigation makes progress.
