Authorities in Mijak County of the disputed Abyei Administrative Area said a 35-year-old man was stabbed to death by suspected Missseriya herdsmen on Sunday.
Chol Adhol, Mijak County Commissioner told Radio Tamazuj that the deceased had gone to check on his charcoal in the forest when he was attacked and killed.
“It was at noontime that the 35-year-old man by name Mayen and who was also married was killed in the forest while going to check his charcoal in the Mijak forest. While there, he was caught by Misseriya herdsmen and they killed him using a knife and swords, and afterward, they (attackers) escaped with their cattle,” he said.
Commissioner Adhol added that the residents identified the body of Mayen and reported it to the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).
He said the body was then brought to his family for burial.
Meanwhile, Abyei’s chief Bith Ajak confirmed the incident and urged residents to move in groups when going into the forest.
“The man was killed when trying to collect his charcoal in Thony-Alei. As chiefs, we have announced that nobody should move alone in the forest because the Misseriya are armed with guns in the forests,” he warned.
According to authorities, more than 30 people were killed and four injured in the Kol-Bol and Madingthon villages, in the peripheries of Abyei town in March this year.