Ambush in South Sudan kills peacekeeping troops

What the report says

Two United Nations peacekeepers were killed and several others wounded in an ambush in South Sudan, according to the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Al Jazeera reported that the patrol was attacked while travelling toward Pajut in Jonglei state, and that armed men also injured three additional peacekeepers, along with two South Sudanese police officers and two civilian mission staff.

UNMISS said it sent a quick reaction force to secure the area and assist with the response. The mission’s head, Anita Kiki Gbeho, condemned the attack as unacceptable. The identities and nationalities of those killed were not immediately released.

The ambush comes amid growing concern that South Sudan could slide back into full-scale civil war. Al Jazeera said violence has intensified in recent months in the conflict between government forces and fighters aligned with opposition leader Riek Machar, whose 2018 power-sharing deal with President Salva Kiir has weakened. Machar is currently under house arrest and faces treason charges he says are politically driven.

The report also noted a broader rise in attacks on humanitarian workers and aid assets this year, while violence directly targeting peacekeepers remains unusual. The episode adds to pressure on South Sudan’s leaders and international partners to keep the peace process from collapsing.