UNITED NATIONS, July 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) —The United Nations says one peacekeeper and five civilians have been killed in an attack on peacekeepers on a routine patrol in a market in a disputed region on the border of Sudan and South Sudan.
U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq says a second peacekeeper was wounded by gunfire in Tuesday’s attack by a group of unknown men in Abyei. The slain peacekeeper was from Ethiopia.
“The mission reports that at least five people, including two women and a child, were also killed during the attack,” Haq said, adding that the injured peacekeeper was evacuated for medical treatment.
The U.N. says the peacekeeping mission in Abyei has deployed troops to enhance security and determine the circumstances behind the attack. The mission’s acting commander calls it unprovoked.
The spokesman said UNISFA had deployed troops to search for the attackers.
Both Sudan and South Sudan claim ownership of the oil-rich Abyei area.
The mission was established in 2011 by the Security Council to monitor the disputed border region. — NNN-AGENCIES