Around 170 killed in armed youth attack on South Sudan county
Community leaders said attackers on horseback and on foot swept through villages in Unity State, burning homes and killing civilians indiscriminately.
Africa — March 2, 2026
Approximately 170 people were killed and dozens more wounded when armed youth groups launched a coordinated attack on multiple villages in Unity State, South Sudan, local authorities said Monday.
The assault, which occurred late Sunday night, targeted communities along the Nile in Panyijiar County. Survivors described attackers arriving on horseback and in vehicles, opening fire indiscriminately and burning homes.
Unity State Governor Joseph Nguen Monytuil condemned the attack as 'a massacre' and called for an emergency deployment of national security forces to the area.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said it was dispatching peacekeepers and a humanitarian team to the area and urged a 'swift and transparent investigation.'
Inter-communal violence has plagued South Sudan's oil-producing Unity State for years, often tied to cattle-raiding cycles and competition over grazing land that has intensified amid drought.
The International Organization for Migration said thousands of civilians fled the affected area and urgently needed food, water, and medical care.
