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At slightest 169 radical person been killed and buried successful a wide sedate successful bluish South Sudan, 2 section officials told AFP connected Monday (March 2, 2026), arsenic the state sees a melodramatic summation successful violence.
South Sudan, the world's youngest country, has been beset by civilian war, poorness and monolithic corruption since it was formed successful 2011.
The United Nations warns of a instrumentality to "all-out civilian war" arsenic a power-sharing woody betwixt President Salva Kiir and his long-time rival, Riek Machar, has unravelled implicit the past year.
The desperately mediocre eastbound African state besides faces chronic taste unit and convulsive cattle-raiding.
The latest massacre happened aboriginal connected Sunday (March 1, 2026) successful Abiemnom County adjacent the Sudan border.
"A full of 169 bodies person been laid to remainder successful a wide grave," Elizabeth Achol, Health Minister successful bluish Ruweng administrative area, told AFP by phone.
Local Information Minister James Monyluak gave the aforesaid toll, saying it included women, children and aged radical and could summation further arsenic much bodies are found.
A diplomatic source, speaking to AFP anonymously, placed the decease toll astatine 70 but said it could rise.
Initial reports indicated the onslaught was carried retired by an taste Nuer group, perchance successful revenge for the sidesplitting of immoderate traders, the diplomatic root added, though nary radical has claimed responsibility.
Humanitarian workers hit
Many residents person fled to adjacent villages, portion others person sought extortion astatine a section UN compound, Monyluak said.
"The information concern has since stabilised, with authorities information forces deployed and present successful power of the area," helium added.
U.N. peacekeepers were "temporarily sheltering immoderate 1,000 civilians wrong our basal successful the country and providing exigency aesculapian attraction to the injured," a spokesperson for the UN Mission successful South Sudan said.
Clashes betwixt authorities and absorption forces person focused connected Jonglei authorities successful the past 2 months, wherever immoderate 2,80,000 person been displaced according to the U.N.
Humanitarian workers person besides been targeted.
On Monday (March 2, 2026), Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said 26 members of unit were missing pursuing an airstrike connected 1 of its facilities. The organisation has suspended aesculapian services successful Lankien and Pieri successful Jonglei state.
U.N. rights main Volker Turk voiced alarm Friday (February 27, 2026) astatine the country's deteriorating situation, calling for swift enactment to avert a instrumentality to full-scale civilian war.
