UN peacekeepers in Abyei (UNISFA) have pledged to try to bring to justice the armed group that killed 13 Misseriya traders as they passed through Abyei on their way to Unity state. The traders were attacked while on their way to Mayom County on Thursday last week.

The raid took place near Baleng Ajueen village, 20km north-east of Abyei Town. Their goods were looted and their vehicles burned. The area is widely regarded as dangerous, as several militias operate there. Deng Ayuel, a resident of nearby Marial Achaak, said that many people had fled the area as forests were home to gangs of criminals.

Villagers tended not to move around because of the danger, he said, and traveled only in groups for added protection.

UNISFA’s chief community liaison officer, Toby Harward, said efforts were being made to bring those responsible to justice, and patrols were being extended after the end of the rainy season.

The road from Al Muglad, in West Kordofan in Sudan, is a well-known route for taking goods through Abyei into South Sudan. The Misseriya say the latest incident is the fourth of its kind in the area this year, with a total of 27 deaths. Ambadi Yahia Kabashi, of the Mazaghna clan, is the chairman of the Misseriya Shura Council in Al Muglad.

He claimed that documents found at the scene indicated that the SPLA was to blame. The SPLA spokesman in Juba has said that he is unaware of the incident.

Nyol Paguat, chief of the Bongo clan, said Ngok Dinka youths were not to blame because the area was too far away for them to travel to. He said the main road through Abyei, linking Sudan and South Sudan, should be opened so that traders did not have to venture into dangerous areas.

Reporting by Abyei Today

Related:

UN in Abyei says it responded quickly to killing of 13 traders (19 Nov.)

13 reported dead in attack on Sudanese traders near Abyei (16 Nov.)