Sudan border: Dozens killed in clashes in contested Abyei region

More than 50 people, including peacekeepers from the United Nations, have been killed in attacks in a disputed area between South Sudan and Sudan, according to the United Nations.

It is the most dangerous event in three years of fighting in the oil-rich area of Abyei.

Two groups with weapons attacked Abyei on Saturday, the local government said.

The next day, peacekeepers got shot at while taking injured people to the hospital, according to the UN.

South Sudan and Sudan share control over Abyei, but both say it belongs to them. They have not settled this disagreement since South Sudan became independent in 2011.

The fighting on the weekend is said to be because of a land disagreement between two groups of the Dinka people – the Ngok and Twic – from Abyei and South Sudan’s Warrap state.

According to officials in the Abyei Special Administrative Area, a group of “rebels” teamed up with armed young people from the Twic faction and carried out several “brutal coordinated attacks” starting on Saturday morning.

Forty-two people, mostly women and children, were killed on the first day of the attacks, according to the government.

On Saturday, a Ghanaian peacekeeper died, according to the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (Unisfa). They want a quick investigation into the violence.

Unifsa also said that on Sunday, more peacekeepers were shot at while taking hurt people from a Unifsa base to a hospital.

A Pakistani peacekeeper died, and “four soldiers and one local person were injured”, the report said.

Unifsa said on Monday that 52 people have died and 64 are severely injured, according to local authorities.

According to the AFP news agency, Rou Manyiel Rou, who is the secretary general for the Abyei Special Administrative Area, said on Saturday that the fighting was connected to a long-standing disagreement between the Ngok and Twic (Dinka) communities.

The UK, Norway, and the United States, who helped South Sudan become independent, have said they are very worried about increasing violence between communities in Abyei.

The statement said that leaders who have power to make a difference in their communities but don’t use it to promote peace are not looking out for their people.

Last year in November, there were fights that killed 32 people, including a United Nations peacekeeper. These new attacks happened over the weekend and were very deadly.