At least nine people have been killed and more than 60 injured in clashes between members of the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities at Amiet joint market in the disputed Abyei area on Tuesday evening.
Ngok Dinka Paramount Chief Bulabek Deng Koul told Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday that nine deaths had been confirmed, while the number of injured is still being established.
“This morning, nine deaths were confirmed, but the number of injured is still being collected in the residential areas from both sides of the Dinka and Misseriya tribes,” he said.
The community leader said the violence followed an attack on Ngok Dinka traders on Monday evening that left one person injured. A Misseriya man was also found with his throat cut on Tuesday morning, he said.
Yohana Akol, Abyei’s information minister, said 63 Ngok Dinka people are being treated at an MSF hospital.
He said the situation had escalated after a dispute involving traders at the common market, with the violence lasting from about 6pm to 8pm.
Radio Tamazuj could not reach Misseriya community representatives to verify the casualty figures from their side.
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.
UNISFA could not immediately be reached for comment on the incident.
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