The United Nations Interim Security Forces for Abyei (UNISFA) in a press statement on Saturday strongly condemned the surge in criminal incidents within the Abyei Administrative Area in the past two weeks.
The peacekeeping force said it is in relentless engagements and interactions with the governments of Sudan and South Sudan and also reached out to the Paramount Chiefs of Ngok Dinka and the Misseriya Community and urged their cooperation and support in maintaining peace and security.
“UNISFA has been able to facilitate the Traditional leaders to convene the long-awaited Traditional Leaders Peace Dialogue, scheduled in Entebbe, Uganda,” the statement read. “Despite the efforts of UNISFA to maintain peace and security in the region, acts of violence are being executed by miscreants and armed criminal elements.”
It added: “In an incident which occurred Saturday 14 May 2022 at around 11.15 am, armed criminals fired at commuting civilians from a nearby bush surrounding Amiet Market.”
According to the statement, on hearing gunshots, UNISFA troops acted quickly, deploying Armored Personnel Carrier (APC), which was on Patrol Duty for road protection.
“The swift action by UNISFA troops forced the armed criminals to flee the scene of crime. An injured civilian was immediately evacuated to Ameth-Bek Referral Hospital in Abyei for medical care. Further, UNISFA launched multiple patrols and stepped-up Area Domination to restore normalcy and dispel fears amongst locals,” the press release said.
UNISFA says it will continue to ensure the freedom of movement of locals, mount regular snap checkpoints to deter criminals, and prohibit the carriage of illegal arms.
“The increased number of apprehensions with weapons on the Main Supply Route (MSR) since March 2022 is testimony to the fact that MSR protection has been given due importance and is being carried out professionally. Having stated the facts, it’s imperative to highlight that incidents like these are more of criminal activities in nature rather than community or tribe-specific acts,” UNISFA said.
According to the statement, the primary onus of reducing criminality in the society lies with UNISFA and involves cooperation with local administrative authorities as well as heads and community leaders.