JUBA: Five Indian peacekeepers and at least seven UN civilian workers were killed yesterday in an ambush in South Sudan with others still missing, officials said, a day after warnings about spiralling violence.
Hilde Johnson, the top UN official in South Sudan, “condemns the strongest terms the killing today of five peacekeepers and seven civilians working with UNMISS (United Nations Mission in South Sudan) in an ambush by unidentified assailants”, she said in a statement.
“At least nine additional peacekeepers and civilians were injured in the attack, and some remain unaccounted for,” she added. Indian foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin blamed unknown “rebels” who attacked while the soldiers were “escorting a UN convoy”.
The volatile eastern state of Jonglei has been the scene of widespread ethnic conflict since South Sudan became independent in July 2011, with bloody battles between rival tribes, including the Dinka, Lou Nuer and Murle people. Clashes between the army and a former theology scholar turned rebel called David Yau Yau from the Murle people have devastated large parts of this troubled region. AFP
