Sudan18 September, 20262 min read
Sudan And South Sudan Dispute Abyei: Ngok Dinka And Misseriya Clashes Kill 26, Injure 82
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
26 killed, 82 injured in Abyei clashes at Amiet market between Ngok Dinka and Misseriya. UNISFA says violence followed separate killings of a Ngok Dinka and a Misseriya.
Amiet market clashes
Ethnic violence in the disputed Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan killed 26 people and injured 82 others after clashes erupted at the Amiet Common Market, according to the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA). UNISFA said the violence followed the assassinations on September 14 and 15 of two men belonging respectively to the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities, which it said “exacerbated tensions between the two communities” and fueled escalation. The clashes were described as occurring on Tuesday in the Amiet shared market, with UNISFA saying the initial killings escalated tensions between the two rival communities around the market.
UNISFA also said it reinforced its security presence around the Amiet market and began engaging community leaders to restore calm after the violence left 26 dead and 82 injured. Abyei is disputed between Sudan and South Sudan since South Sudan’s independence in 2011, and UNISFA’s mission numbers around 3,000 military personnel and police.
Dialogue urged
UNISFA head Lieutenant General Ganesh Kumar Shreshta urged dialogue over retaliation, saying, “Dialogue, not retaliation, is the way forward.” In the same UNISFA framing, Shreshta said, “Our priority is to protect civilians and prevent further loss of life,” as the force strengthened its presence around Abyei town and the Amiet market. The UNISFA statement also said it was conducting intensive communications with leaders of the two groups who “renewed their commitment to dialogue and reaching a peaceful settlement of the hostilities,” according to Al-Jazeera Net.
Africaradio reported that UNISFA reinforced security and community engagement to restore calm after the clashes, and it quoted Shreshta’s emphasis on protecting civilians and preventing further loss of life. Other coverage described the violence as a new deadly chapter in Abyei, with the Amiet market described as “the main space where the two communities interact daily in the Abyei region.”
What UNISFA says next
After the clashes, UNISFA said it reinforced its presence around the market, which was closed, and deployed additional troops to calm the situation, while discussions began with leaders of both communities. Africaradio said UNISFA had reinforced security and community engagement to restore calm following violence that left 26 dead and 82 injured, and it described the mission as numbering around 3,000 military personnel and police. Al Jazeera Net reported that UNISFA strengthened its security presence in the market and around it and deployed additional troops to calm the situation after the Tuesday violence.
The violence was linked in multiple accounts to separate killings earlier in the month of a Ngok Dinka man and a Misseriya man, which UNISFA said “heightened tensions between the two communities.” With Abyei’s status still unresolved since 2011, the UNISFA mission’s stated mission remained to protect civilians in a region described as oil-rich and jointly administered by Sudan and South Sudan.