Intercommunal clashes kill 71 people in South Sudan

What Happened

Intercommunal clashes in Rumbek, Lakes State, South Sudan, killed approximately 71 people, including four soldiers, according to a Friday statement from South Sudan’s interim Ministry of Information. The ministry said the exact number of fatalities had yet to be verified. AFP reported that witnesses said a group of people from outside Rumbek attempted to take control of the town and briefly succeeded, then withdrew when police and military reinforcements arrived. Two witnesses said the fighting moved outside the city limits. The government statement said Rumbek town was under the control of government security forces, and efforts were ongoing to restore normalcy.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The violence in Rumbek underscores the fragility of South Sudan’s security situation ahead of its first national election since independence in 2011. President Salva Kiir dissolved the transitional government in September, ending the 2018 power-sharing arrangement that halted a five-year civil war in which about 400,000 people were killed. Continued intercommunal clashes, including a September 17 incident that killed 26 people on the South Sudan–Sudan border, threaten to derail the political transition and deepen instability in a region already strained by the war in Sudan.

Watch For

Monitor official verification of the death toll, any retaliatory attacks around Rumbek or Lakes State, and whether government security forces maintain control. Also watch for any postponement or disruption of the scheduled national election following the dissolution of the transitional government, as well as further cross-border violence along the South Sudan–Sudan border.