Two UN Peacekeepers Killed in South Sudan Ambush
Two UN Peacekeepers Killed in South Sudan Ambush
The News
Two United Nations peacekeepers were killed Monday when unidentified gunmen ambushed their patrol in a remote part of South Sudan, the UN mission in the country confirmed.
Seven other people were wounded: three peacekeepers, two members of the South Sudanese police and two civilian staff attached to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, known as UNMISS.
The patrol was heading toward Pajut, in Jonglei state, when it came under fire. UNMISS said a "Quick Reaction Force" was sent to secure the area and help with emergency measures.
The names and nationalities of the two dead peacekeepers have not been released, and the attackers have not been identified.
Timeline
President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar sign a peace agreement meant to end South Sudan's civil war.
Machar is suspended as vice president after being charged with treason and other offenses, which he says are politically motivated. He is currently held under house arrest.
Fighting escalates as opposition forces capture government positions across Jonglei state.
Government troops launch a counteroffensive with ground strikes and aerial bombardments, despite their official commitment to the 2018 deal.
The UN records more than 450 acts of violence against aid workers and humanitarian assets — more than twice the number logged in the same period last year.
Gunmen ambush the UNMISS patrol near Pajut, killing two peacekeepers and wounding seven other people.
Reactions
Anita Kiki Gbeho, the head of UNMISS, condemned the attack. "Such deadly violence targeting UNMISS personnel who are serving to support peace in South Sudan is unacceptable," she said.
The mission called for a prompt investigation and said attacks on UN peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law.
The United States has pressed Kiir and Machar to return to the table, calling earlier this year for "urgent action to uphold peace and mitigate the risk of civil war through an immediate return to dialogue among the parties to the 2018 peace agreement."
What's Next
UNMISS wants an investigation into who carried out the ambush. No group has been identified as responsible, and the mission has not said whether it will change how its patrols operate in Jonglei.
The broader question is whether the collapse of the 2018 agreement tips South Sudan back into full civil war — the fear UN officials and aid groups have been raising all year.
More
Targeted attacks on peacekeepers themselves remain uncommon in South Sudan, but the country is broadly unstable. Government forces are fighting units aligned with Machar, and the violence against humanitarian workers has more than doubled year over year.
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