Several killed after UN helicopter targeted in South Sudan attack

Several people have died in South Sudan following an attack on a UN evacuation mission targeting members of the national army, according to the UN.

One crew member was killed when a UN helicopter came under fire, a statement from the UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) confirmed. The statement also reported that a South Sudanese general was injured, and several other troops were killed during the evacuation effort in Upper Nile state.

The UN described the attack on its helicopter as potentially constituting a war crime.

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir later stated that a second helicopter was able to take off after the initial attack but crash-landed shortly thereafter, killing everyone on board. However, UNMISS reported that both of its helicopters safely landed in Malakal.

According to Information Minister Michael Makuei, a total of 27 South Sudanese soldiers died in the incident, as reported by Reuters.

The violence in Upper Nile has escalated, threatening the fragile peace agreement between President Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar. Their rivalry sparked a brutal civil war in 2013, which lasted five years, resulting in 400,000 deaths and the displacement of 2.5 million people. Though a peace agreement was signed in 2018, tensions have remained high.

The ongoing fighting in Upper Nile involves clashes between South Sudan’s army and the White Army, an ethnic militia that had aligned with Machar during the civil war. UNMISS has been evacuating wounded soldiers from the conflict zone, coordinating with both the White Army and South Sudan’s army.

UNMISS head Nicholas Haysom condemned the attack, calling it "utterly abhorrent" and potentially a war crime under international law. "We deeply regret the tragic loss of our colleague and express our sincere condolences to his loved ones," he said. "We also regret the killing of those we were attempting to evacuate, particularly after receiving assurances of safe passage."

President Kiir identified the general who died in the attack as Gen. Majur Dak, the leader of forces stationed in Nasir, Upper Nile.

Amid the fighting, a series of arrests have raised concerns that South Sudan may be on the brink of another war. Several key allies of Machar, including the oil minister and a senior army general, were detained earlier this week.

Following the attack, President Kiir urged the nation to "remain calm," stating, "I have said time and again that our country would not go back to war. Let no one take the law into their own hands. The government, which I lead, will handle this crisis."

South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, remains the world’s newest nation.