A United Nations (UN) helicopter was shot at in South Sudan while attempting to evacuate wounded government troops, resulting in several deaths, including a UN crew member. The attack occurred in Upper Nile state, where ongoing fighting threatens the country’s fragile peace agreement, the UN Mission in South Sudan (Unmiss) reported.
The UN condemned the attack, calling it “utterly abhorrent” and warning that it “may constitute a war crime under international law.” The helicopter was evacuating South Sudanese soldiers when it came under fire, leading to the deaths of an injured general and several troops. President Salva Kiir later stated that a second helicopter managed to take off but crash-landed, killing all on board. However, Unmiss clarified that both helicopters landed safely in Malakal.
South Sudan’s Information Minister, Michael Makuei, confirmed that 27 South Sudanese soldiers died in the attack. The general who perished was identified as Gen Majur Dak, who commanded forces in Nasir, a conflict-prone region of Upper Nile.
The violence in Upper Nile stems from renewed clashes between government forces and the White Army, an ethnic militia that was allied with Vice-President Riek Machar during the country’s brutal civil war. The conflict, which erupted in 2013 due to a power struggle between Kiir and Machar, lasted five years, resulting in 400,000 deaths and the displacement of 2.5 million people. A 2018 peace agreement sought to end hostilities, but tensions have persisted.
Unmiss had been coordinating evacuations with both the South Sudanese army and the White Army to extract wounded soldiers from the battlefield. Nicholas Haysom, the head of Unmiss, expressed deep regret over the attack and the loss of life, particularly since assurances of safe passage had been provided beforehand.
Meanwhile, political instability is heightening fears of a return to full-scale war. Several of Machar’s allies, including the oil minister and a high-ranking general, were arrested earlier this week, further straining relations within the government.
President Kiir has urged citizens to remain calm, vowing that the government will manage the crisis. “I have said time and again that our country will not go back to war,” he stated, calling for unity in the face of rising tensions.
South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, remains plagued by instability, with fragile peace efforts repeatedly undermined by violence and political discord.
