32 dead in attacks in disputed region between Sudan and South Sudan
32 people have been killed in a series of attacks in the Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan. Women and children were "burned to death in their huts" and more than 20 people were injured, said the Minister of Information for Abyei and South Sudan's spokesperson for the region. According to him, a soldier from the UN peacekeeping force UNISFA was also killed and another injured.
According to the Abyei government representative, the attacks were carried out on Sunday morning in two districts by armed militias and soldiers in South Sudanese army uniforms. The latest "barbaric attacks on civilians" were a continuation of the deadly violence that broke out in the region last week, he said.
The government in South Sudan called for an immediate investigation into the attacks. The oil-rich region of Abyei lies between Sudan and South Sudan and has been a flashpoint since the south gained independence in 2011.
Earlier this month, the UN Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Hanna Tetteh, expressed concern that the armed conflict in Sudan could be approaching the border with South Sudan and Abyei. Just last week, the UN Security Council extended the mandate for the 4000-strong UN peacekeeping mission for Abyei.
In Sudan, the troops of military ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF militia of his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo have been engaged in a bloody power struggle since mid-April. According to Tetteh, talks on the long-disputed status of Abyei have been "on ice" ever since.
Source: www.ntv.de
