Overview

• Over the weekend, a violent attack in the disputed Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan resulted in the death of 52 people, including a UN peacekeeper, and left 64 others wounded.
• The attack is believed to be linked to a land dispute and was reportedly carried out by armed youth from South Sudan's Warrap state and forces of a rebel leader from the Nuer ethnic group.
• The Abyei region, rich in oil, is claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan and its ownership status has remained unresolved since South Sudan's independence in 2011.
• Following the attack, hundreds of displaced civilians have sought shelter at a UN base in the region.
• The violence in Abyei is the deadliest in a series of attacks related to the boundary dispute that have been occurring since 2021.