Handout photo taken Dec. 20, 2013 released by UN Mission in South Sudan shows the remains of two UN soldiers from the Indian Battalion who were killed in the attack at Akobo in Jonglei state. (AFP Photo /UNMISS/Rolla Hinedi)
UNITED NATIONS —
The United Nations Security Council's president says about 14,000 civilians have taken shelter at a U.N. base that is now surrounded by up to 3,000 armed men. There are fears the situation could turn deadly, much like an attack Thursday that killed 11 civilians.
French Ambassador Gerard Araud said Friday that Indian peacekeepers are protecting the base in Bor, the capital of Jonglei state. He urged the parties to stop fighting and go to the negotiating table before the crisis escalates out of control.
“It is a political crisis, basically; first a political crisis within the leadership of the SPLM [Sudan People's Liberation Movement]. But as I have said, you have the political crisis and you have a powder keg which is the ethnic question. So the political crisis could lead to a general political civil war if we don’t solve very quickly the political crisis through dialogue," said Araud.
On Friday, the U.N. Mission in South Sudan, UNMISS, said some 2,000 ethnic Lou Nuer youth surrounded a U.N. base at Akobo on Thursday. They opened fire in the direction of the 32 Dinka civilians who had taken refuge inside the compound, killing 11.
In this photo taken Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013 and released by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), civilians fleeing violence seek refuge at the UNMISS compound in Bor, capital of Jonglei state, in South Sudan.
The youth also attacked the 43 Indian peacekeepers at Akobo, overwhelming them and seizing their weapons and ammunition. Two peacekeepers were killed and one was seriously injured.
The U.N. mission sent helicopters to Akobo on Friday to evacuate the peacekeepers and other personnel, who were taken to a Sudanese Peoples’ Liberation Army (SPLA) camp for their safety.
After an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting Friday, Araud told reporters that the situation is very fluid and tense in several parts of the country.
“For the moment, the UNMISS is directly protecting 35,000 civilians. We have numerous reports of human rights violations, ethnic targeting. The government estimate was at least 500 killed in Juba," he said.
The East African regional group IGAD has sent a delegation to Juba, the South Sudan capital, where they hope to mediate the situation. Ambassador Araud expressed the Security Council’s support for their mission.
The U.N. Secretary-General has also called for calm and dialogue to resolve the crisis.
The Lou Nuer are associated with Riek Machar, South Sudan's former vice president. President Salva Kiir fired Machar in July.
Kiir, a Dinka, accuses Machar and his supporters of trying to stage a coup against his government earlier this week, setting off the deadly violence.
The United Nations has a force of about 7,600 troops and police in South Sudan whose mandate includes the protection of civilians.
South Sudan's Peace Talks Open in Ethiopia
1/12Members of the South Sudan rebel delegation attend the opening ceremony of South Sudan's peace negotiations, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, January 4, 2014.
South Sudan's warring factions have opened peace talks in Ethiopia, as violence continues in at least two regions of South Sudan.The two sides begin face-to-face negotiations Sunday, January 5, 2014 in Addis Ababa following days of delays.
2/12Taban Deng Gai, left, head of the rebel delegation and South Sudan's leader of the government delegation, Nhial Deng Nhial, attend the opening ceremony of South Sudan's peace negotiations, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, January 4, 2014.
South Sudan's warring factions have opened peace talks in Ethiopia, as violence continues in at least two regions of South Sudan.The two sides begin face-to-face negotiations Sunday, January 5, 2014 in Addis Ababa following days of delays.
3/12Unidentified members of the delegation from the South Sudan government and western observers meet at the Sheraton Hotel, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, January 4, 2014.
South Sudan's warring factions have opened peace talks in Ethiopia, as violence continues in at least two regions of South Sudan.The two sides begin face-to-face negotiations Sunday, January 5, 2014 in Addis Ababa following days of delays.
4/12A displaced mother and her baby, one of the few to have a mosquito net, wake up at a refugee camp, Awerial, South Sudan, Jan. 2, 2014.
South Sudan's warring factions have opened peace talks in Ethiopia, as violence continues in at least two regions of South Sudan.The two sides begin face-to-face negotiations Sunday, January 5, 2014 in Addis Ababa following days of delays.
5/12A young displaced girl carries a bucket of water back to her makeshift shelter at a United Nations compound. The compound has become home to thousands of people displaced by the recent fighting, Juba, South Sudan, Dec. 31, 2013.
South Sudan's warring factions have opened peace talks in Ethiopia, as violence continues in at least two regions of South Sudan.The two sides begin face-to-face negotiations Sunday, January 5, 2014 in Addis Ababa following days of delays.
6/12Displaced people gather inside a mosquito net tent as they flee from the fighting between the South Sudanese army and rebels in Bor town, in Juba, South Sudan, Dec. 30, 2013.
South Sudan's warring factions have opened peace talks in Ethiopia, as violence continues in at least two regions of South Sudan.The two sides begin face-to-face negotiations Sunday, January 5, 2014 in Addis Ababa following days of delays.
7/12A displaced woman hangs up laundry on the plastic sheeting wall of a latrine at a United Nations compound, Juba, South Sudan, Dec. 31, 2013.
South Sudan's warring factions have opened peace talks in Ethiopia, as violence continues in at least two regions of South Sudan.The two sides begin face-to-face negotiations Sunday, January 5, 2014 in Addis Ababa following days of delays.
8/12Yared, 2, is held by his mother, Madhn, who fled from the town of Bor a few days ago. She receives medicine for her child at a Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) medical tent, at a United Nations compound, Juba, South Sudan, Dec. 31, 2013.
South Sudan's warring factions have opened peace talks in Ethiopia, as violence continues in at least two regions of South Sudan.The two sides begin face-to-face negotiations Sunday, January 5, 2014 in Addis Ababa following days of delays.
9/12A young displaced boy rests on the wheel arch of a water truck while others fill containers from it, at a United Nations compound, Juba, South Africa, Dec. 31, 2013.
South Sudan's warring factions have opened peace talks in Ethiopia, as violence continues in at least two regions of South Sudan.The two sides begin face-to-face negotiations Sunday, January 5, 2014 in Addis Ababa following days of delays.
10/12A family makes tea outside their makeshift shelter at a United Nations compound, Juba, South Sudan, Dec. 31, 2013.
South Sudan's warring factions have opened peace talks in Ethiopia, as violence continues in at least two regions of South Sudan.The two sides begin face-to-face negotiations Sunday, January 5, 2014 in Addis Ababa following days of delays.
11/12A general view of a camp for displaced people set up in a United Nations compound in Bor, South Sudan, Dec. 25, 2013.
South Sudan's warring factions have opened peace talks in Ethiopia, as violence continues in at least two regions of South Sudan.The two sides begin face-to-face negotiations Sunday, January 5, 2014 in Addis Ababa following days of delays.
12/12South Sudan army soldiers hold their weapons as they ride on a truck in Bor, Dec. 25, 2013.
South Sudan's warring factions have opened peace talks in Ethiopia, as violence continues in at least two regions of South Sudan.The two sides begin face-to-face negotiations Sunday, January 5, 2014 in Addis Ababa following days of delays.
