The United Nations mission in South Sudan said on Friday, March 7, that a crew member was killed and two other people injured after a UN helicopter came under fire in the country’s northern Upper Nile state.
The Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said in a statement that the aircraft was conducting an evacuation process in Nasir county when it was attacked, adding that several South Sudanese soldiers were also killed during the incident as the plane attempted to extract them from the area.
The evacuation was requested by authorities following clashes between the national military and a local militia known as the White Army, which caused significant casualties and displaced civilians.
“The attack on UNMISS personnel is utterly abhorrent and may constitute a war crime under international law. We deeply regret the tragic loss of our colleague and express our sincere condolences to his loved ones,” said UN envoy to South Sudan Nicholas Haysom.
“We also regret the killing of those that we were attempting to extract, particularly when assurances of safe passage had been received. UNMISS urges an investigation to determine those responsible and hold them accountable.”
There have been clashes in Nasir county in recent days between government forces and the White Army, threatening a 2018 revitalised peace agreement that ended a civil war in the world’s youngest nation.
The violence came after the government announced plans to replace longstanding troops with new forces, while residents reportedly wanted a unified force deployed in the area.
Petroleum minister Puot Kang Chol and deputy army chief General Gabriel Duop Lam were briefly arrested in connection with the unrest.
Both officials and the White Army are reportedly allied to vice president Riek Machar, whose home in the capital Juba was also surrounded by soldiers.
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development expressed deep concern over the situation on March 5, calling on South Sudanese stakeholders to exercise maximum restraint.
