Amnesty demands answers over failure to prevent South Sudan massacre

Amnesty International has accused South Sudanese authorities and UN peacekeepers of failing to prevent a massacre earlier this year, despite advance warnings of an imminent attack. Issued on: 13/11/2026 - 19:37 3 min Reading time South Sudanese authorities have failed to investigate the killing of more than 200 people in Abiemnom town in March, while the United Nations Mission in South Sudan – UNMISS – failed to take all available measures to prevent the attack, according to a report published by Amnesty International on Thursday. The rights organisation said both the government and UN peacekeepers had received advance warnings of the assault, raising serious questions about their response and the continued lack of accountability for those responsible. The massacre took place in the early hours of 1 March 2026, when hundreds of armed men stormed the town, close to Sudan's southern border, killing residents and destroying homes and property. 100,000 flee South Sudan into Ethiopia, according to Unicef, amid violence More than 200 killed in four hours The report, titled The Abiemnom Massacre: Inaction and Impunity in South Sudan, documents how between 1,000 and 1,500 armed Nuer men from Mayom County in Unity State carried out a four-hour assault that left more than 200 people dead, including children, and many others injured. "This is one of South Sudan's largest documented massacres since 2020," said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International's regional director for East and Southern Africa. "The attackers overran Abiemnom and within hours, more than 200 people were killed. The community was left insufficiently protected despite prior intelligence that an attack was imminent." Chagutah called for an "urgent, independent, impartial and transparent investigation" to ensure those responsible are held accountable. The findings come as South Sudan prepares for elections scheduled for 22 December, amid fears that renewed violence could undermine the country's fragile peace. South Sudan vice president charged with murder, crimes against humanity Early warnings ignored Amnesty's investigation found that both South Sudanese authorities and UNMISS had received warnings of a possible attack as early as two weeks before the massacre. Unity State's information minister had publicly acknowledged that authorities were aware of the threat, while residents and survivors reported that armed men from Mayom County had been mobilising fighters and weapons. According to Amnesty, the violence may have been triggered by the unresolved killings of several young men from Mayom County in Abiemnom, compounded by a lack of accountability for an earlier attack. UNMISS acknowledged that tensions had been rising since mid-February and that around 1,000 people had sought refuge at its temporary operating base on the outskirts of Abiemnom when violence escalated two days before the massacre. "Given these warnings, as well as a similar deadly attack on Abiemnom in April 2025, both the government and UNMISS had sufficient information and time to take more effective preventive action. Their failure to take stronger action cost lives," Chagutah said. South Sudanese children riding a bicycle in the town of Abiemnom in Unity state in March 2010. © PETER MARTELL / AFP Amnesty documented how attackers shot residents in their homes and courtyards, or as they attempted to flee or hide. Witnesses described victims being shot at close range after being captured or injured. Government security forces and armed residents attempted to repel the assault but were overwhelmed. South Sudanese authorities reported at least 213 deaths, including 130 residents, 76 members of the security forces and seven foreign nationals. Amnesty has called on the government to launch an independent investigation and ensure that survivors and victims' families receive justice and reparations. It has also urged UNMISS to conduct an independent review of its response before, during and after the massacre, and to make its findings public. (with newswires)