Four civilians were reported injured after fighting broke out within the UN base protecting South Sudanese civilians under threat of ethnic violence in Malakal town.
A UN spokesperson told Radio Tamazuj that the brawl took place at the Protection of Civilians site between the Nuer and Shilluk tribes, which prompted UN forces to shoot in the air to disperse the fighting.
The Malakal fighting is the latest in a spate of violence between displaced people inside displaced person camps of South Sudanese. A recent brawl in Juba injured about 60 people and a fight in Kakuma left one person dead.
The UN spokesperson said total casualties in the Malakal incident have not yet been assessed.
Sultan Martino Ajuak, a displaced person inside the base, confirmed to Radio Tamazuj that fighting erupted within the UN base.
Martino said the incident occurred when a female security guard was beaten by Nuer tribesmen.
“So when security guards came to arrest the suspect, other Nuer IDPs refused and attacked IDPs from the other communities sheltering inside the camp,” he said.
File photo: A trader sells books at the Malakal PoC site, 5 Sept. 2014 (UNMISS)