Amnesty International has accused South Sudanese authorities and the United Nations peacekeeping mission of failing to prevent a massacre in Abiemnom, where more than 200 people were killed during an armed attack on March 1, 2026.
In a new report titled The Abiemnom Massacre: Inaction and Impunity in South Sudan, released on November 11, the human rights organisation said both the government and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) had prior information about the impending attack but failed to take adequate preventive measures.
The report documents how between 1,000 and 1,500 armed men from Mayom County in Unity State attacked Abiemnom, killing more than 200 people, including children, and injuring many others.
Amnesty said the attackers also destroyed homes and property, while satellite imagery showed that more than 230 structures had been burned.
The organisation based its findings on interviews with 82 people, including survivors, witnesses, medical personnel and community leaders.
Amnesty further questioned why UNMISS did not reinforce its peacekeepers in the area before the attack despite warnings of escalating tensions and an imminent assault.
UNMISS, however, said it had limited resources and concentrated its available personnel on protecting and providing medical care to approximately 2,500 people who sought refuge at its base. The mission also said it had repeatedly asked South Sudan’s national army to deploy additional forces.
Amnesty has called for an independent investigation into the killings, accountability for those responsible and a separate review of UNMISS’s response before, during and after the attack.
The organisation also wants survivors and families of victims to receive reparations, including medical, psychosocial and livelihood support.
