A government official in the Abyei Administrative Area has said eleven commuters were ambushed and killed in Rumamer County on Friday allegedly by rebels loyal to General Stephen Buay Rolnyang, who leads the rebel outfit South Sudan People’s Movement/ Army (SSPM/A).

Kuol Ayom, the acting commissioner of Rumamer County on Easter Sunday said the incident happened in the county’s Akol Matnyang village.

“The cars were not going to Biemnhom in Ruweng Administrative Area and the ambush happened in one of Rumamer’s villages,” he explained. “The place where it happened is called Akol Matnyang where a huge troop commanded by Gai Machiek who is based in Ajak Kuac Payam and is under Stephen Buay ambushed a car and killed 11 Nuer youth who were going to Ajak Kuac.”

“The first car which was carrying a patient to Mayom was not shot and they attacked the vehicle carrying eleven passengers,” Ayom added.

However, when contacted, Acting Twic County Commissioner Mangok Kom denied the presence of SSPM/A rebel forces in Ajak Kuac Payam and said he did not have information about the attack.

“I do not know. Have you talked to the acting commissioner of Mayom County?” he queried, before adding, “Gai Machiek has never gone there (Rumamer County) and is just a normal spiritual leader and not a soldier. I do not have information like that because I just returned from Kuajok yesterday (Saturday) evening and I will investigate. However, communication is difficult due to the poor telephone network.”

Attempts to reach the Mayom County authorities were futile.

Abyei has been grappling with violent conflict since March 2021 when clashes erupted when the local authorities there attempted to survey the Aneet area which is also claimed by the neighboring Twic community in Warrap State.

Army youth from Twic County attacked Aneet in February 2021 and set the market ablaze.

President Salva Kiir last month while visiting Warrap State met chiefs from Abyei and Twic in his Akon hometown and urged them to cease hostilities and allow commercial traffic and people to move freely.

On 3 April, a peace conference between the two communities was convened in the Western Bahr El Ghazal State capital in Wau but it ended in deadlock.