Overview
- UNMISS said a patrol heading to Pajut in Jonglei was ambushed on Monday, leaving two peacekeepers dead and seven people wounded, including three other peacekeepers, two South Sudanese police and two civilian UN staff.
- The mission deployed a Quick Reaction Force to secure the area and support the emergency response, and it has not yet released the identities or nationalities of the two killed.
- U.N. figures show more than 450 incidents of violence against humanitarian workers and assets were reported between January and July, more than double the number from the same period last year.
- The ambush comes after opposition forces seized outposts in Jonglei in December and a government counteroffensive since January has included ground assaults and air strikes, reflecting the collapse of the 2018 power-sharing deal.
- International actors, including the United States, have called for renewed talks between President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar as the rising attacks on aid workers and peacekeepers threaten humanitarian access and civilian safety.