Deadly Attack in Abiemnom County Kills 178 People in South Sudan

On 01/03/2026, a large-scale armed attack in Abiemnom County in the Ruweng Administrative Area of South Sudan left at least 169 people dead, with the toll later rising to 178 after several injured victims died in hospitals. The assault occurred before dawn and lasted several hours, during which armed groups targeted civilian settlements and government positions in the area. Local officials reported that the victims included 90 civilians, among them women, children, and elderly residents, as well as 79 government soldiers stationed in the county. Among those killed were Paulino Wal Monychikat and Mawien Majith. Authorities said the attackers burned homes and marketplaces during the raid, which was reported to have lasted three to four hours. Officials in the Ruweng Administrative Area attributed the attack to armed youth groups originating from Mayom County in neighboring Unity State. The region’s information minister also alleged that the attackers were linked to the Sudan People's Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO), the political and military movement associated with opposition leader Riek Machar. Representatives of the SPLA-IO denied involvement in the assault. Other reports suggested that some of the fighters may have been connected to the White Army, a loosely organized militia that has operated in parts of South Sudan during previous conflicts. The violence caused significant displacement in the region. More than 1,000 civilians fled their homes and sought refuge at a base operated by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Medical facilities were also strained by the influx of casualties, with at least 50 people reported seriously injured. The humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) reported difficulties responding to the emergency and said that 26 of its staff members were unaccounted for across the country during the wider surge in violence. Following the attack, authorities in the Ruweng Administrative Area declared three days of official mourning. The incident occurred amid increasing tensions related to the fragile 2018 peace agreement between President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar, which ended several years of civil war in the country. The United Nations warned that renewed clashes and local conflicts across parts of South Sudan could threaten the stability of the peace arrangement and risk further escalation if tensions between political factions and armed groups continue.