Soldiers accessing a market that was torched by gunmen in Abyei. (File photo/courtesy).

At least 14 people were killed on Friday during an attack at a marketplace in the Abyei Administrative Area, local authorities said.

Abyei Joint Oversight Committee said in a press statement, that seventeen others were wounded in the same incident at Nyinkuac market in Abyei town.

Unidentified assailants reportedly stormed the heavily populated market at 7 PM and started shooting at civilians, under unclear reason.

The statement which condemned the “heinous attack against innocent people”, also mentioned that two people are battling serious wounds.

The body criticized UNISFA peacekeeping troops for lack of intervention in the incident reportedly occurring just a kilometer away from its base.

It further urged UNISFA to adhere to their mandate of protecting civilians from imminent security threats, by applying utmost vigilance to prevent such incidents.

In another statement, the Abyei Civil Society Organization also condemned the attack against civilians.

“What happened the day before yesterday was something very bad, they killed innocent people in the market where they take tea and they killed fourteen people including two women and children,” said Chol Lual, the chairperson of Abyei Youth Union.

He said UNISFA troops should be held answerable for defaulting on their mandate, and called for deployment of a protection units in the markets to ensure security is intact and to any imminent threats.

“The situation now is normal but people still worrying about the insecurity, and the situation in Abyei is not good. UNISFA is not fulfilling its mandate to protect the civilians and is not doing anything to maintain the security in Abyei town, so now people don’t have food and even a place to go.”

There have been a series of such killings in the volatile region that is still disputed by Sudan and South Sudan since 2011.

There’s no press statement from the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei concerning the deadly incident.

But, early this year, UNISFA echoed the Security Council’s request to both Sudan and South Sudan to ensure that the Abyei area be demilitarized from any forces, as well as armed elements of the local communities.