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.
The victims, including 90 civilians, were attacked on Sunday in Abiemnom county, said James Monyluak, information minister for the administrative area of Ruweng.
The U.N. Mission in South Sudan, known as UNMISS, said in a statement that 1,000 people sought shelter with 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 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.
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 further 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.
Machar’s supporters say the charges against him for alleged subversion are politically motivated.
The conflict escalated in December when opposition forces seized government outposts in the county of Jonglei.
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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