Armed men ambush patrol in South Sudan, kill two UN peacekeepers
Two UN peacekeepers from Ethiopia were killed and seven others wounded in an ambush in South Sudan. The UN has condemned the attack and called for an investigation into the incident.
Why it matters
The attack represents a rare and dangerous escalation of violence against international peacekeeping forces in a volatile region.
Armed men ambushed a patrol travelling to a remote area of South Sudan on Monday (August 24, 2026), killing two UN peacekeepers, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan said. Though violence is rampant in the African country, attacks against peacekeepers are rare.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Seven others were wounded — three peacekeepers, two members of the South Sudanese police and two civilian staffers — the mission known as UNMISS said in a statement. The two peacekeepers killed and three injured were from Ethiopia, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said.
The mission said it had deployed a “Quick Reaction Force” to secure the area and support the emergency response after the attack. The patrol was going to the area of Pajut in the state of Jonglei when it came under attack.
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