At least 169 people were killed after insurgents raided a village in a remote area of South Sudan, a local official said Monday, marking the latest bout of sporadic violence that has left the country teetering on the verge of full-blown civil war.
The victims, including 90 civilians, were attacked on Sunday in Abiemnom county, said James Monyluak, information minister for the administrative area of Ruweng. He said women and children were among the dead, in addition to dozens of combatants.
The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said in a statement that 1,000 people sought shelter at its base after the attack. “Such violence places civilians at grave risk and must stop immediately,” said Anita Kiki Gbeho, a UNMISS official. “I urge all involved to cease hostilities without delay and engage in constructive dialogue to address their grievances.”
The killings are part of an escalating wave of violence gripping South Sudan as government forces loyal to President Salva Kiir battle armed men believed to be loyal to opposition leader Riek Machar. The armed youths who carried out the latest attack are believed to have ties with Machar's group, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-In-Opposition.
Machar was Kiir’s deputy until September, when he was removed after facing criminal charges. He is under house arrest in Juba as his trial progresses. Ongoing violence threatens a fragile peace reached in 2018 after a five-year civil war, which Machar's supporters say is being systematically dismantled by the country's leaders.
