At least 26 people have been killed and 82 injured in violence at a market in the disputed Abyei region, according to the United Nations.
The violence broke out at the Amiet Common Market on 15 September, the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) said in a Thursday statement extended to Radio Tamazuj.
The deaths followed the separate killings of a Ngok Dinka man on 14 September and a Misseriya man the following day, which increased tensions between the two communities, the mission said.
Amiet Common Market is an important trading centre in the area and has previously been affected by tensions between the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities.
UNISFA said it had reinforced its security presence around the market and deployed additional troops to help prevent further violence.
The mission said it is working with local authorities and community leaders to restore calm and prevent retaliation.
UNISFA commander Lieutenant General Ganesh Kumar Shrestha called on the two communities to pursue dialogue and peaceful coexistence.
The UN has urged the relevant authorities to investigate the violence and hold those responsible to account.
The mission said it would maintain an enhanced security presence in the area while continuing efforts to protect civilians.
For his part, Ngok Dinka Paramount Chief Bulabek Deng Kuol told Radio Tamazuj on Thursday that 13 Ngok Dinka people had been confirmed killed in the violence.
He said the Amiet Common Market remains closed, while youths from both communities are providing security there.
“We are waiting for leaders from the Misseriya community to come so that both sides can sit down and de-escalate the situation,” Kuol said.
He added that the number of confirmed deaths among the Ngok Dinka had risen from nine to 13, but said he doesn’t have figures for casualties among the Misseriya.
Abyei is home to the Ngok Dinka, a Dinka community with permanent settlements in the area, while the Misseriya are predominantly pastoralists from Sudan who seasonally move south with their cattle in search of water and grazing land. The two communities have long-standing economic ties, but disputes over grazing, water and land have periodically led to violence.
Oil-rich Abyei is disputed between Sudan and South Sudan. The UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) is deployed there to help protect civilians and maintain security.
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