Not less than 14 troopers had been killed and a number of other others injured in South Sudan after a suspected “love triangle” dispute led to a lethal shootout, the military mentioned on Wednesday.
A conflict between members of the Unified VIP Safety Power, which contains authorities troops and opposition fighters, erupted on Monday at a market close to the oil-rich Abyei Field area, which straddles the border between Sudan and South Sudan.
A fragile power-sharing deal between President Salva Kiir and his long-time rival, Riek Machar, has been unravelling for months, threatening to return the younger nation to a civil warfare that left 400,000 useless within the 2010s.
Machar was indicted final month on costs of homicide, treason and crimes in opposition to humanity, and was stripped of his place as first vice chairman within the unity authorities, additional fueling fears of renewed tensions. Machar’s spokesperson condemned the transfer as a “political witch-hunt,” BBC News reported.
In response to South Sudan People’s Defence Forces spokesman Lul Ruai Koang, Monday’s dispute started between two officers, one pro-Machar and the opposite pro-Kiir.
“There are two conflicting accounts concerning the reason for the disaster: first model says it was a purely private misunderstanding between the 2 officers at a tea place and the opposite says it was a love triangle,” Koang informed reporters throughout a press briefing on the military common headquarters within the capital Juba.
“The 2 males reportedly quarreled after each had been reported to be romantically concerned with the identical girl,” he mentioned.
The state of affairs escalated when the Machar-aligned officer shot his Kiir-aligned counterpart, prompting their respective bodyguards to open hearth.
Violence then erupted from the market, spreading to main checkpoints and barracks, Koang mentioned.
“A complete of 14 servicemen had been killed: six from the SPLA-IO (Machar’s get together) and eight from the SSPDF,” Koang confirmed.
One civilian was reportedly caught within the crossfire, with their situation but to be confirmed, whereas 5 troopers had been injured and are receiving remedy.
Koang mentioned the incident was not “politically motivated” however confirmed that an investigation has been launched.
The United Nations rights chief warned final month that South Sudan is on the point of renewed warfare, as almost 2,000 civilians have been killed in surging violence this yr.
South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 however rapidly fell right into a five-year civil warfare.
A 2018 peace deal ended the combating, however leaders have repeatedly failed to carry elections or unify their armed forces. The United Nations, African Union and neighboring nations are calling for calm on the earth’s latest nation, BBC News reported.
Brian Inganga / AP 
On Tuesday, a global ceasefire monitor mentioned events to South Sudan ‘s faltering peace settlement have recruited new fighters and kidnapped kids to take part within the battle. Tuesday’s assertion by the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Analysis Fee, or RJMEC, mentioned South Sudan’s army in June opened a recruitment drive for 4,000 forces for peacekeeping and different functions and that it opened a brand new coaching heart in August.
An announcement learn by Anita Kiki Gbeho, the second most senior U.N. official within the nation, mentioned that civilian casualties ensuing from the battle between January and September had risen 59% in comparison with the identical interval in 2024.
Roughly 321,000 folks had been displaced by combating, and incidents affecting humanitarian entry had doubled from the earlier yr, she mentioned.
Earlier this yr, the United States ordered the speedy departure of non-emergency personnel from the capital of South Sudan, citing a rise in crime, kidnapping and armed battle.
contributed to this report.
