In a damning report published on Thursday, human rights group Amnesty International has accused the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and South Sudanese authorities of failing to prevent a deadly attack on a remote village in Abiemnom near the Sudan border earlier this year. More than 200 people were killed, with over 1,000 armed men from neighboring Mayom County allegedly committing acts of violence, including shooting residents, burning homes, and looting part of the hospital.
The report reveals that UNMISS was aware of a likely attack on Abiemnom but did not reinforce its three dozen peacekeepers there until after the March 1 assault. Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty's director for East and Southern Africa, stated that both the government and UNMISS had ample information and time to take stronger preventive action, yet failed to do so, resulting in loss of lives.
South Sudan is set to hold elections next month, with many fearing this may unravel a fragile peace. Amnesty reported that tensions over earlier killings of several young men from Mayom County may have triggered the attack. UNMISS spokesperson Priyanka Chowdhury acknowledged the mission's efforts in protecting and treating about 2,500 people seeking refuge at a protected area, but questioned why more peacekeepers were not deployed sooner.
The UN Security Council (UNSC) renewed UNMISS’s mandate in April, reducing its authorized troop ceiling from 17,000 to 12,000. The report calls for an independent investigation into the killings and a separate review of the peacekeepers' response, with Amnesty expressing concern over the lack of response from South Sudanese authorities regarding their requests for information and responses to the preliminary findings. Chagutah emphasized the need for truth, justice, and assurances that such a tragedy will never happen again, stating "behind every statistic is a story of devastation, death, and destruction."