This archive report was first published on 18 July 2019.
Published on July 18, 2019, residents of the contested Abyei area at the Sudan-South Sudan border have been living in fear due to a surge in attacks.
On Tuesday, armed men killed at least seven people in Abyei market, including a UN peacekeeper and a six-month-old baby, in a horrific incident that has left authorities struggling to identify the attackers.
Abyei Area Chief Administrator Kuol Alor Jok has revealed that more than 15 people have been killed between January 1 and July 16 this year, with the latest incident being the most devastating.
Mr. Jok has urged the UNISFA to help stop the crimes, emphasizing the need for cooperation between residents and UN keepers in dealing with insecurity.
The UN forces were deployed to Abyei in 2011 by the UN Security Council following heightening tensions between northern and southern Sudan over the control of the area.
