UN peacekeepers killed, seven wounded in ambush in South Sudans Jonglei state

Two United Nations peacekeepers were killed and seven others injured in an ambush by unidentified gunmen in South Sudan’s Jonglei state on Monday, the U.N. Mission in South Sudan confirmed.

The attack occurred as a U.N. patrol traveled toward Pajut, a remote area in Jonglei. Among the wounded were three peacekeepers, two South Sudanese police officers and two civilian staff members attached to the mission, known as UNMISS. The mission deployed a Quick Reaction Force to secure the area and assist with emergency measures following the assault.

Anita Kiki Gbeho, the head of UNMISS, condemned the violence in a statement, calling it “unacceptable” for such deadly attacks to target personnel “serving to support peace in South Sudan.” The nationalities of the slain peacekeepers were not disclosed.

The ambush underscores the escalating instability in South Sudan, where government forces have clashed with fighters loyal to opposition leader Riek Machar. Machar, suspended as vice president last year, faces treason and other charges he claims are politically motivated. A 2018 peace agreement between President Salva Kiir and Machar—who is currently under house arrest—has effectively collapsed, raising concerns about a return to full-scale civil war.

UNMISS noted that attacks on peacekeepers are rare but warned that such incidents could constitute war crimes. The mission has recorded more than 450 acts of violence against aid workers and humanitarian assets between January and July, more than double the figure from the same period last year.

Fighting intensified in December when opposition groups seized government positions in Jonglei. In response, government troops launched a counteroffensive in January, including ground strikes and aerial bombardments, despite commitments to the 2018 peace deal.

The United States has urged renewed negotiations between Kiir and Machar, calling earlier this year for “urgent action to uphold peace and mitigate the risk of civil war through an immediate return to dialogue among the parties to the 2018 peace agreement.”

South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, gained independence in 2011 but has since been plagued by conflict. According to U.N. figures, more than 160 peacekeepers have died in the country since its independence. The latest violence follows the breakdown of the 2018 accord, which had ended a five-year civil war that killed around 400,000 people.