Two United Nations peacekeepers were killed when armed men ambushed a UN Mission in South Sudan patrol travelling toward Pajut in Jonglei state, according to a UNMISS statement issued on Monday.
Three other peacekeepers were wounded in the attack, along with two South Sudanese police officers and two civilian staff attached to the mission. The identities and nationalities of the dead peacekeepers have not been disclosed.
UNMISS secures the area after attack
UNMISS said it deployed a “Quick Reaction Force” to secure the area and support the emergency response. Anita Kiki Gbeho, the mission’s head, said violence against personnel serving to support peace in South Sudan was unacceptable.
The attack targeted a patrol rather than a fixed UN site, and the statement did not identify the armed men responsible or provide further details about the circumstances of the ambush.
Wider violence has intensified
The ambush comes amid months of fighting between government troops and forces loyal to opposition leader Riek Machar. Fighting escalated in December after opposition forces seized government outposts in Jonglei, followed by government air strikes and ground assaults.
The 2018 power-sharing agreement between President Salva Kiir and Machar has broken down. Machar, a former vice president, was suspended from the post last year and is under house arrest facing treason charges that he says are politically motivated.
Humanitarian workers face mounting danger
UN figures recorded more than 450 attacks on humanitarian workers and assets between January and July, more than double the total for the same period last year. At least 36 humanitarian workers and contractors were killed, compared with 31 across all of 2025.
The United States has urged Kiir and Machar to take urgent action, return to dialogue and uphold the 2018 peace agreement as the risk of a full-scale civil war grows.
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