A convoy of barges hired by the UN to bring food and fuel to the base in Malakal where thousands of people need food was attacked on the Nile River yesterday.

The attack took place near Barbuoui at about 10:15 yesterday when unidentified assailants opened fire on the barges from the north (i.e. west bank) of the river, upriver from Tonga town in Upper Nile state, according to a statement by the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

Rocket-propelled grenades were also fired at the convoy of four vessels. Four crew members and UNMISS peacekeepers were wounded during the incident, though none of their wounds is critical.

The peacekeeping mission has yet to establish the identity of the attackers, saying that both SPLA and SPLA-IO denied responsibility.  

The convoy had left from Mangalla on 18 April with 16 crew members and 56 UNMISS peacekeepers aboard, and it resumed its voyage towards Malakal early this morning. 

Two of the barges are carrying a total of 65,000 kilograms of food rations for UN personnel and displaced people living at the mission’s base in Malakal, while the third barge is carrying diesel and the fourth is carrying jet fuel.

“All clearances were obtained from the relevant South Sudanese authorities prior to the departure of the convoy six days ago,” stated UNMISS.

The peacekeeping mission condemned the attack, calling on armed groups to respect the cessation of hostilities and to respect the “inviolability of UN assets and facilities in South Sudan.”

File photo (WFP)

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