At least 169 people were killed in a raid near the Sudan border as clashes between government forces and opposition groups intensify, raising fears that South Sudan could return to full-blown civil war. The attack on Sunday targeted a village in Abiemnom county, with victims including women, children, and security personnel, according to local officials.
The UN mission in South Sudan is sheltering over 1,000 civilians and providing medical care to the wounded. The chief administrator of Ruweng blamed the assault on the White Army, a militia allied to former vice-president Riek Machar, alongside forces from his Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO). The group denied involvement, saying it had no military presence in the area.
Separately, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported that 26 staff members are missing after recent violence in Jonglei state, where fighting has escalated since December. MSF said its hospital in Lankien was hit by an airstrike and later burned, while its facility in Pieri was looted, forcing it to suspend medical activities.
The conflict traces back to a power struggle between President Salva Kiir and Machar, which sparked a civil war in 2013 that killed over 400,000 people. A 2018 peace deal brought Machar back as vice-president, but implementation stalled. Last September, Machar was charged with murder and treason after a White Army attack, and Kiir suspended him. Now under house arrest, his trial continues, with supporters calling the charges politically motivated.
Analysts warn that Machar's prosecution has unified opposition groups, even those previously split from him. Fighting in Jonglei has displaced an estimated 280,000 people in two months. The International Crisis Group's Daniel Akech noted that Machar has become a 'symbolic unifying figure' despite his detention.
