Five people have been killed in fresh fighting in Athony Ayuok and Ayuok villages in Twic, Warrap State and Abyei Special Administrative Area.
On Monday authorities on both sides said seven villagers also suffered serious injuries during the bloody skirmishes.
Among the dead was an South Sudan’s People’s Defense Force’s (SSPDF) soldier, sources said.
Bulis Koch, Abyei Information Minister, accused Twic county armed youth and SSPDF of instigating the fight in the area.
“The new attack happened at around 8 o’clock local time at Athony Ayuok village, Twic County. Armed youth attacked our area where one youth was killed and three others suffered gunshot wounds. The fighting has just ended,” he told Radio Tamazuj.
“Twic armed youth, SSPDF and Gai Machiek forces came this morning and clashed with area youth and the SSPDF forces of general Kuel Garang fired at one side and that is Abyei side so Gen Kuel sided with armed youth from Twic and this is not problem solving that made fighting continuing up to Makuac Lueth village and it ended there” he said.
The minister said an easy normalcy has resumed in the area but remained skeptical if any fighting could erupt following claims Twic armed youth are still in the bushes around the area.
Simon Aguek, Warrap state’s Twic county commissioner confirmed the incident and accused their Abyei counterparts of attacking his youth.
“My youth are in their places and they have been attacked this morning by Abyei armed youth at Athony village, three people died while four are wounded but the fighting is still going on. We will wait for the final news later in the evening or in the morning (Tuesday),” he said.
Aguek accused SSPDF of reluctance to intervene in the clashes between the two arch-rival armed youth groups.
“I don’t know, SSPDF forces are there I asked one of the commanders but he said they wait for orders from the general headquarters. The Abyei armed youth also killed SSPDF one soldier, Deng Wol this morning at Ayuok Village, telephone connectivity remains dodgy and so we don’t have any clear information from the ground,“he further said.
The fighting in Twic-Abyei is a conflict that erupted in February 2022 between the Twic Dinka and the Ngok Dinka, two sub-groups of the Dinka people tribe in South Sudan. The dispute is over the ownership of a land in the Abyei area, which is rich in oil and has been contested by Sudan and South Sudan since in 2011.
The Twic Dinka, who live in the neighboring Warrap state, claim that some parts of Abyei belong to them and accuse the Ngok Dinka of encroaching on their land.
The Ngok Dinka, who is the majority inhabitants of Abyei, reject the Twic claims and demand that Abyei be integrated into South Sudan. The Ngok Dinka also face attacks from the Misseriya Arabs, a nomadic group that migrates from Sudan to Abyei in search of pasture and water for their cattle.
The conflict has resulted in several deadly clashes, displacements, and cattle raids, as well as the involvement of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), which was deployed in 2011 to maintain peace and security in the area.
In April 2023, the Twic Dinka and the Ngok Dinka signed a ceasefire agreement, but the situation remains tense and unstable.
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