According to a local information minister, ethnic violence in the disputed, oil-rich Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan left 32 dead over the weekend. The United Nations Interim Security Force (UNISFA) has since intensified patrols and met with Abyei political and traditional leadership.
- Violence regularly breaks out between two factions in the Abyei region: the Twic Dinka from South Sudan’s Warrap State, and the Ngok Dinka from Abyei. On Sunday morning, Twic Dinka militia supported by men in South Sudan army uniforms attacked multiple Ngok Dinka settlements in Agok town. Though notable, the violence does not indicate a significant threat of widespread conflict between Sudan and South Sudan.
- The Abyei region has been claimed by Sudan and South Sudan since the two nations separated in 2011. Accordingly, Abyei has operated as a special administrative region overseen by officials from both countries.
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