United Nations Base In Sudan Attacked, 58 Killed, 100 Injured

A United Nations base in South Sudan was attacked, leaving 58 people killed and another 100 people injured during the attack.

According to the Washington Post, an angry mob of youths attacked the United Nations peacekeeping mission’s camp in Bor in Jonglei state on Thursday. Ethnic Nuers, about 5,000 of them, fled there after fighting broke out in the country, mid-December. A United Nations official, speaking anonymously, made a formal announcement that the 58 who were recognized dead were Nuer, but there were other casualties on the side.

The violence in South Sudan became tantamount during the month of December of last year. Fighting broke out between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and those loyal to former vice president Riek Machar. Salva Kiir is an ethnic Dinka while Riek Machar is an ethnic Nuer and both sides do not get along with each other. It is also reported that Machar was fired by Kirr last July. Thousands of people are believed to have been killed. Over one million people have already fled their homes.

Since December, Bor has already changed hands four times between South Sudan’s military and rebels loyal to Machar.

United Nations spokesman, Stephane Dujarric made a statement about the details of the attack on the U.N. base:

“The assailants, a mob of armed civilians, came to the base under the guise of peaceful demonstrators intending to present a petition… The armed mob forced entry on to the site and opened fire on the internally displaced persons sheltering inside the base.”

In another report by Fox News, another United Nations official said a surgical team from Doctors Without Borders flew into Bor to help treat the injured, which includes two United Nations peacekeepers. The United Nations officer also said the U.N. has reinforced security in Bor.

This situation comes in at a bad time for the United Nations. They’ve just recently assigned a goodwill ambassador, as reported here on The Inquisitr. Connie Britton, who is known for acting in shows like Friday Night Lights and Nashville, was given the role but the official United Nations ambassador to Ukraine has announced that they will succeed despite the escalation within the country due to their issues with Russia. Adding another issue with the United Nations already-full list of problems may just stretch them thin.

The worst part about the United Nations base being attacked is that it was probably one of the few established places providing food and shelter to the homeless due to internal conflict. Now the secretary-general warned that up to 1 million people face potential famine-level hunger.

[Image via Bing]