Armed men ambushed a patrol traveling to a remote area of South Sudan on Monday, killing two U.N. peacekeepers, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said.
Although violence is widespread in the African country, attacks targeting U.N. peacekeepers are rare.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Seven others were wounded, including three peacekeepers, two members of the South Sudanese police and two civilian staff members, UNMISS said in a statement.
The two peacekeepers killed and the three wounded were from Ethiopia, U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said.
The patrol was traveling to the Pajut area in Jonglei state when it came under attack. UNMISS said it deployed a “Quick Reaction Force” to secure the area and assist with the emergency response.
“Such deadly violence targeting UNMISS personnel who are serving to support peace in South Sudan is unacceptable,” Anita Kiki Gbeho, head of UNMISS, said in the statement.
The deaths bring to nine the number of peacekeepers killed by militias since Jan. 1, Dujarric said, warning that attacks against U.N. peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the ambush “in the strongest possible terms” and called for a prompt investigation leading to the prosecution of those responsible, Dujarric said Monday.
“The secretary-general reaffirms the United Nations' commitment to stand with the victims and their families during this profoundly difficult time,” the spokesperson said.
Government forces in South Sudan have been fighting fighters and militias loyal to opposition leader Riek Machar, who was suspended last year as vice president and faces charges including treason and other offenses. Machar has rejected the allegations as politically motivated.
A 2018 peace agreement between President Salva Kiir and Machar, who is currently under house arrest, has effectively collapsed, raising fears that the country could return to full-scale civil war.
More than 450 incidents of violence against humanitarian workers and assets were reported between January and July, according to U.N. figures. That was more than double the number recorded during the same period last year.
The conflict intensified in December after opposition forces seized government outposts in Jonglei. The government has conducted a counteroffensive since January, including aerial bombardments and ground attacks, despite its stated commitment to the peace agreement.
The United States has called for dialogue between Kiir and Machar. Earlier this year, Washington urged “urgent action to uphold peace and mitigate the risk of civil war through an immediate return to dialogue among the parties to the 2018 peace agreement.”