Two United Nations peacekeepers were killed and seven other people injured after armed men ambushed a patrol in South Sudan’s Jonglei state on Monday, the U.N. mission said.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan, or UNMISS, said the patrol was travelling toward Pajut when it came under attack by unidentified gunmen.
Three peacekeepers were among those wounded, along with two members of the South Sudan National Police Service and two civilian staff.
UNMISS said it deployed a Quick Reaction Force to the area to secure the scene and assist with the emergency response following the attack.
Anita Kiki Gbeho, the head of UNMISS, condemned the killings, saying violence targeting personnel working to support peace in South Sudan was unacceptable.
The mission called on authorities to launch a swift investigation and bring those responsible to justice. It also warned that deliberate attacks on U.N. peacekeepers could constitute war crimes under international law.
UNMISS operates across some of South Sudan’s most unstable regions, where intercommunal violence, armed youth mobilisation and clashes involving government forces continue to pose serious security risks.
Although deadly attacks on U.N. personnel are relatively rare, peacekeepers regularly patrol areas where state authority remains weak and armed groups operate with limited restraint.
South Sudan has faced recurring political and communal violence despite a peace agreement that formally ended the country’s civil war, with Jonglei among the states repeatedly affected by armed clashes and displacement.
