The border region of Abyei has been contested since South Sudan gained independence in 2011.

An official in Abyei Administrative Area says 12 people have been killed by suspected armed Sudanese bandits.

Seven other people were also wounded in the Saturday attack.

Abyei Area deputy Chief Administrator accused armed Misseriya pastoralists of carrying out the deadly raid in Dunguop village East of Abyei town.

Kon Manyiet Matiok told Eye Radio this morning that the same group killed a 75-year-old man on Friday near the boundary with Warrap state.

“What happened is a group of Misseriya and Sudan armed forces jointly carried an attacked on the village of Donguop Alei yesterday in the morning around 5 am, they attacked the village in three directions, we have 12 people who have been killed and seven has been injured,” the deputy chief administrator said.

“Some are seriously injured with broken legs, arms, and different parts of the body and now those injured have been hospitalized in the MSF hospital here.”

Those killed during the Sunday attack include Arop Palek Hoch, Malual Mayin Aiik, Malual Kon Deng, Dau Akak Ajak, among others.

The oil-rich border region of Abyei has been contested since South Sudan gained independence in 2011.

Several inter-communal clashes between the armed Misseriya pastoralist tribe of Sudan and the Dinka Ngok of South Sudan have led to many civilian deaths in the last decade.

On Tuesday last week, the UN Security Council renewed the mandate of over 4,000 strong peacekeeping troops of the UN Interim Security Force for the Abyei area until November 15, 2021.

Besides the protection of civilians, the resolution authorized UNISFA to provide support to the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism on the Sudan-South Sudan border.