South Sudan - January 2024

The level of inter-communal violence in the Abyei region (claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan) has been escalating since late 2023. January 2024 was a particularly deadly month in which more than 50 people were killed, including one UN peacekeeper. The current violence relates to the dispute over the boundaries of the region which has been ongoing since South Sudan declared independence in 2011. The region has oil reserves, and two Dinka ethnic groups (Ngok Dinka of Abyei and Twic Dinka of South Sudan’s Warrap state) are contesting the administrative boundaries and revenue arrangements in the region.

Sources: United Nations News, Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, British Broadcasting Corporation