At least 122 people were killed in an attack on a town in South Sudan’s Ruweng Administrative Area on Sunday, including 82 civilians, a regional official said, in one of the deadliest incidents reported in recent months.
James Monyliak Mijok, information minister of Ruweng, said armed youth from Mayom County in neighbouring Unity State stormed the town of Abiemnhom and engaged in fighting that lasted more than three hours.
“I would like to sadly inform you that among those killed were the County Commissioner and the Executive Director,” Mijok said on Monday. He added that 82 of the victims were civilians, including children, women and elderly residents.
“We managed to bury them this morning,” he said, noting that at least 50 others sustained injuries ranging from minor to serious.
The motive for the attack was not immediately clear.
South Sudan has experienced a surge in violence in recent months, raising fears that political tensions could further undermine a fragile 2018 peace agreement. The deal, signed by President Salva Kiir and his longtime rival Riek Machar, ended a five-year civil war that killed an estimated 400,000 people.
However, implementation of key provisions of the agreement has stalled, and forces aligned with rival factions have repeatedly clashed over power-sharing arrangements and security reforms.
The latest violence comes amid heightened concern from the United Nations and regional observers about deepening instability, particularly following the arrest of former First Vice President Machar last year, a move critics say further strained the peace process.
