One person was killed and dozens others injured after fighting broke out within the UN base protecting South Sudanese civilians under threat of ethnic violence in the capital Juba today, Monday.

Martin Kueth Gai, secretary of the managing committee at Protection of Civilians (PoC) site 3 inside the base, told Radio Tamazuj that a brawl took place involving the Bul section and Haak section of the Nuer tribe of Unity State over the weekend. He added that the fight erupted after a Haak girl was impregnated by a young man hails from the Bul section.

“Yes, the fighting erupted at the PoC 3 today, but the fighting initially started within the PoC 1 on Saturday. The fighting was between the Bul Nuer and Haak Nuer of Unity State," he said.

He said the problem started when a male of the Bul section reffused to marry a female from the Haak section, and fighting took place during a meeting over the matter.

The camp leader further said the Bul Nuers were defeated by the Haak Nuers during the Saturday fighting inside the PoC 1.

“You know, after the Bul were defeated within the PoC 1, they went out of the camp angrily and came to the PoC 3, where they also attacked Dok Nuers, which is also another Nuer section” he explained.

The Dok Nuers were not involved in the fighting that took place within the PoC 1 on Saturday, according to Kueth.

Kueth disclosed that one person was killed from the Bul Nuer side during the fighting today.

He added about 32 people were wounded from the two sides, besides several wounded people from the other Nuer sections. Kueth pointed out that a mediation committee comprising of the other Nuer sections was formed to mediate between the feuding sides.

However, he said Bul Nuer refused any mediation and that they fought the mediating committee, prompting the other Nuer sections to expel them from the UN base forcibly.

“So after the Bul Nuer had been expelled from the PoC 3, they now started to cause insecurity outside by taking motorcycles and cars along the road leading to Juba town,” said Kueth.

But the community leader confirmed that the Bul Nuer eventually accepted the mediation committee so that they can return back to the UN base.

There have been recent tensions between Nuer sections in the UNMISS PoC in Unity State capital of Bentiu as well.

Correction, 12 May 2015: Martin Kueth Gai later corrected his statement saying only one person was killed; this was also confirmed by UNMISS. The headline and other parts of this article initially reported two deaths.