White militia linked to Machar, blamed for a deadly attack on the UN helicopter amidst the fragile peace in South Sudan.
He said a UN helicopter attempting to evacuate South Sudan soldiers fired near the town of Nasir, killing one crew and several troops.
The attack came as the helicopter was trying to airlift the soldiers after a violent clash at Nasir between the South Sudanese army and the White Army militia.
“Attacks are… totally abominable and can constitute a war crime under international law,” said Nicholas Haysom, head of Unmiss. “We also regret the murder of the people we were trying to extract, especially when guarantees of safe passage are received. Unmiss will determine who is responsible and urge an investigation to hold them accountable.”
The president’s office said Kiel would address the country on Friday afternoon.
White people whose members are primarily from the Nuer ethnic group fought Machar’s army in the 2013-2018 civil war.
A spokesman for Machar said this week that security forces formed alliances with the Minister of Oil, Minister of Peacebuilding, Deputy Secretary of the Army and Macher, sparking fears about the country’s fragile peace process.
The government has not commented on detention, and Machar’s party has denied involvement in the fighting in Nasir.
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