The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has condemned the "ambush" carried out this Monday by a group of armed men in the state of Jonglei, in eastern South Sudan, in which two 'blue helmets' of Ethiopian nationality have died and seven other personnel have been injured.
"I condemn in the strongest terms the ambush perpetrated against a patrol in the state of Jonglei, in South Sudan, by unidentified armed individuals," Guterres stated in a message on social media in which he conveyed his "deepest condolences" to the families and loved ones of the victims, as well as to the Government and people of Ethiopia.
According to the provided balance, in the attack the two mentioned Ethiopian 'blue helmets' lost their lives, while seven other people have suffered injuries: three Ethiopian members of the peacekeeping forces, two agents of the National Police Service of South Sudan, and two civilian workers of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS, for its acronym in English).
The UNMISS convoy was heading to the town of Pajut, where intense clashes have recently been recorded between the Army, known as the South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF), and the opposing Sudan People's Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO).
Next, the highest official of the UN emphasized that attacks directed against peacekeeping personnel constitute "serious violations of International Humanitarian Law" and warned that these acts may amount to war crimes.