UNISFA tanks patrol in Abyei Administrative Area. (-)

A Pakistani soldier of the United Nations Interim Security Force (UNISFA) for Abyei is the second peacekeeper to have perished in the multiple attacks on the Abyei region on the weekend, UNISFA said.

On 27th January 2024, gunmen attacked multiple locations in southern Abyei, initially killing 53 people, including a UNISFA peacekeeper from Ghana, according to the administrative government.

But in a statement on Monday, the UN mission said its peacekeeper from Pakistan passed away on January 28, 2024.

(UNISFA is concerned by continuing intercommunal clashes that resulted in the death of another United Nations peacekeeper from Pakistan on 28 January. This follows the death of a Ghanaian peacekeeper on 27 January,” the Mission said.

The Pakistani national serving in the blue-helmet mission was reportedly killed as UNISFA convoy transporting wounded and affected civilians from its base to a hospital came under “heavy” fire, which also wounded four more personnel and a civilian.

The body said it has bolstered protection of civilians by allowing all persons in danger of the -inter-communal attacks to seek sanctuary at its bases and camps.

“The Mission strongly condemns these attacks against civilians and peacekeepers, recalling that violence against Blue Helmets may constitute a war crime under international law,” it said.

The Mission also said it extends its deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the fallen peacekeepers, while wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

“UNISFA is engaging with local authorities to verify numbers of those who have been killed, injured, and displaced. The Mission is making every effort to restore calm, including proactively and robustly protecting civilians, and reiterates its call for a swift investigation so that perpetrators can be held accountable.”