Five people were killed and one injured in an attack on a village in the disputed Abyei area, local authorities said Sunday.
Officials said armed men suspected to be from Sudan’s Misseriya community attacked Maker Abioor village in Alal County on Friday night, killing civilians including women, children and the elderly. One person was wounded and is receiving treatment at Abyei Hospital.
Authorities said the assailants were believed to be cattle raiders targeting property. Local youth forces repelled the attackers, who reportedly fled toward Sudan.
Abyei, an oil-rich region claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan, remains a flashpoint for violence between the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya. A unilateral referendum held in the area was not recognized by either country.
Yohana Akol Ngor, Abyei’s information minister, told Radio Tamazuj that the government condemned the attack.
“What happened on Friday night, Misseriya militia from Sudan attacked civilians at Maker Abioor village in Alal County. Five innocent lives were lost and one person was wounded,” he said.
Nyang Adoldol, commissioner of Alal County, confirmed the village attack, describing it as a raid carried out by armed men who fled shortly afterward.
He said the victims had been engaged in livelihood activities such as charcoal burning and woodcutting when they were attacked.
Misseriya community leaders could not immediately be reached for comment.
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