Misseriya gunmen attacked a village in eastern Abyei on Monday killing several people. UN peacekeepers based in the area pursued the attackers killing three and capturing four. Dinka Ngok and Misseriya Arab tribes have traded accusations about who started the violence.

Dinka Ngok Chief Bulabek Kuol said Marialachak village was attacked by Sudanese militia yesterday leaving five dead and three wounded.

“The attack on Marialachak took place around 6:00 am. According to a preliminary report about five people including two elderly people and three children were killed,” he said.

“There are three men who are reported missing: Mayiik Ramadan and a paralyzed man called Mol Giel and a blind man called Majok Wuol,” he added.

The UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) reported yesterday that three Dinka were killed while three were wounded, eight children were abducted and 24 houses burned.

"UNISFA launched patrols to engage the attackers, which they encountered near the town of Shegag. In the ensuing firefight, four armed Misseriya were captured and three killed," the UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a press conference in New York yesterday.

A UNISFA patrol also detained four unarmed Misseriya men who were captured while moving from the general direction of the incident. 

According to the Dinka chief, many people abandoned the area yesterday morning but returned after the attackers left. He said he believed the attackers had come from Kech and claimed they had been ordered by the Commissioner of Dabab in West Kordofan to carry out the attack. 

On the other side, however, a Misseriya tribal leader said they had been attacked first by SPLA-Juba forces on Friday at Hafira area, about 50 kilometres east of the disputed territory of Abyei.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Monday, the Misseriya emir Hamad El Dudo said the attackers came from Marialachak area and attacked them at Hafira Abdullah area. He claimed that the incident resulted in the killing of four people and wounding of six others from their side.

The UN spokesman said yesterday the peacekeepers' operations in the area were still ongoing. "The Mission notes that this is the fourth serious incident between Misseriya and [Ngok] Dinka communities in the past two months, which signals a worrying trend towards deterioration of the security environment in the area."