169 people killed after insurgents raid a village in a remote area of
South Sudan
[March 03, 2026]
By DENG MACHOL
JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — At least 169 people were killed after
insurgents raided a village in a remote area of South Sudan, a local
official said Monday, It's the latest bout of sporadic violence that has
left the country teetering on the verge of full-blown civil war.
The victims, including 90 civilians, were attacked on Sunday in Abiemnom
county, said James Monyluak, information minister for the administrative
area of Ruweng.
He said women and children were among the dead, in addition to dozens of
combatants.
The U.N. Mission in South Sudan, known as UNMISS, said in a statement
that 1,000 people sought shelter at its base after the attack.
“Such violence places civilians at grave risk and must stop
immediately,” Anita Kiki Gbeho, a UNMISS official, said in a statement.
“I urge all involved to cease hostilities without delay and engage in
constructive dialogue to address their grievances."
“Our peacekeepers will continue to do everything within their
capabilities to protect civilians seeking refuge at our base,” she
added.
The UNMISS statement cited 23 wounded in the attack in Ruweng, as well
as concern over “reports indicating that dozens of civilians and some
local officials have lost their lives.”
The killings are part of an escalating wave of violence gripping South
Sudan as government forces loyal to President Salva Kiir battle armed
men who are believed to be loyal to opposition leader Riek Machar.
Stephano Wieu De Mialek, the chief administrator of Ruweng
Administrative Area, said on Sunday that the assault was conducted by
elements linked to the White Army militia alongside forces affiliated
with Machar's Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition. Wieu
described the attack as a coordinated and organized assault, calling it
an act of rebellion.
In a statement, Machar's group denied responsibility for the attack and
asserted that it "has no military presence in the area concerned.”
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In this photo taken Nov. 15, 2016, students line up outside a
classroom with a map of Africa on its wall, in Yei, in southern
South Sudan. (AP Photo/Justin Lynch, file)
Machar was Kiir’s deputy until September, when he was removed after
he faced criminal charges. He is under house arrest in Juba, the
South Sudan capital, as his trial progresses.
The U.S. is urging talks between Kiir and Machar.
Ongoing violence threatens a fragile peace reached in 2018 after a
five-year civil war. After that agreement, Machar was named South
Sudan's first vice president in a government of national unity. A
U.N. inquiry has found that South Sudan’s leaders are
“systematically dismantling” that agreement.
Machar’s supporters say the charges against him for alleged
subversion are politically motivated. His removal from office
coincided with a sharp increase in violence.
The conflict escalated in December when opposition forces seized
government outposts in the county of Jonglei, an opposition
stronghold and a flashpoint in renewed fighting that the U.N.
estimates has displaced 280,000 people.
Aid groups have warned that access restrictions to opposition-held
parts of the state are endangering civilian lives.
The government has conducted a counteroffensive since January with
aerial bombardments and ground assaults, despite an official
commitment to the peace agreement.
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