A recent report by Amnesty International has sharply criticized the South Sudanese authorities and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) for their failure to protect residents of Abiemnom town from a massacre that killed over 200 people. The attack, which occurred on March 1, was carried out by a group of between 1,000 and 1,500 armed Nuer men from Unity State's Mayom County. Despite prior knowledge of a likely attack, both the authorities and UNMISS failed to take adequate preventive measures.
The Amnesty International report, titled "The Abiemnom Massacre: Inaction and Impunity in South Sudan," documents the events leading up to and during the four-hour assault on Abiemnom town. According to the report, the attackers destroyed scores of homes and property in the town, close to Sudan's southern border. The organization interviewed 82 people, including 76 survivors and witnesses, medical personnel, community leaders, and other sources, and reviewed satellite imagery and verified videos and photographs from the attack.
Amnesty International's Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, condemned the authorities and UNMISS for their inaction. "This is one of South Sudan's largest documented massacres since 2020," Chagutah said. "The community was left insufficiently protected despite prior intelligence that an attack was imminent. The killing and destruction in Abiemnom demand an urgent, independent, impartial and transparent investigation. The perpetrators must be held accountable."
According to Amnesty International, both the South Sudan authorities and UNMISS knew two weeks in advance that an attack was likely. Media reports quoted the Minister of Information of Unity State acknowledging that state authorities were aware of the potential threat, while community members and survivors told Amnesty International that there had been warnings that men from Mayom County were mobilizing weapons and fighters before the attack.
The massacre may have been triggered by the unresolved killings of several young men from Mayom County in Abiemnom County and fueled by impunity for a prior attack. UNMISS acknowledged that tensions had been high since mid-February, and that when violence escalated, they had limited capacity to respond. Amnesty International is calling for an urgent investigation into the massacre and for those responsible to be held accountable.
The report also raises questions about the performance of the UNMISS peacekeeping mission. Despite having prior knowledge of the attack, UNMISS failed to take all preventive measures available to it. This failure has raised concerns about the mission's ability to protect civilians in South Sudan. Amnesty International is urging the UN to take steps to ensure that UNMISS is equipped to carry out its mandate to protect civilians.
The Abiemnom massacre is one of the largest documented in South Sudan since 2020. The international community has called for an investigation into the massacre and for those responsible to be held accountable. The South Sudanese authorities and UNMISS have been urged to take steps to prevent similar attacks in the future and to ensure that victims and their families receive justice and redress.
Key points
- Authorities and UNMISS knew of imminent attack but failed to act
- Over 200 people killed in Abiemnom massacre
- Amnesty International calls for urgent investigation and accountability
