The local commissioner explained that the attackers took more than 5,300 head of cattle and that residents fled the area
At least 57 people died and another 65 were injured this Friday during an armed attack in the Sudanese county of Baliet, in the state of Upper Nile, in the extreme northeast of the African country.
Baliet commissioner, Joseph Deng, explained, in statements to Radio Tamazuj, that a group of armed men launched the attack in the early hours of the morning, shortly after 5:30 am (local time), opening fire on the residents of Adong Payam.
“Today a tragic situation occurred in Adong. We continue to search for the missing,” he said, adding that “criminal elements” crossed into Baliet from neighboring Ulang and Nasir counties.
Joseph Deng explained that the attackers took more than 5,300 head of cattle and that residents fled the area.
The commissioner assured that security forces had been on alert in recent weeks, but that the magnitude and timing of the attack caught them by surprise.
This Friday, the UN Security Council renewed the mandate of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (Unisfa) for another year, despite the abstention of three countries.
The resolution, authored by the United States, received 12 votes in favor and abstentions from China, Pakistan and Russia.
In addition to extending Unisfa’s mandate until November 15, 2026, the document also extends for another year support for the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism, created in 2011 to monitor activities along the border between Sudan and South Sudan.
Abyei is a disputed area along the border between Sudan and South Sudan.
The situation in Abyei has remained unclear since South Sudan’s independence in 2011. Clashes are frequent in this oil-rich border region, where thousands of peacekeepers are deployed as part of Unisfa.
