Officials have discovered the bodies of at least 169 people killed and buried in a mass grave in South Sudan, two local officials told AFP on Monday, the latest incident as the country sees a dramatic increase in violence.
The local information minister, James Monyluak, gave the toll amount following an early Sunday morning attack but also warned "the figure may increase further if more bodies are discovered". He told AFP by phone that the dead included women, children, and elderly people.
The East African nation has seen a surge in violence throughout its territory, as forces loosely allied to either the opposition or government troops under President Salva Kiir clash.
Thousands have been displaced as a result.
Injured taken to hospital
Around 50 others were wounded and transferred to medical facilities in Abyei and Warrap State for treatment, Monyluak said.
A diplomatic source told AFP the initial information over the Abiemnom incident indicated the attack may have been a revenge attack.
No group has claimed responsibility for the incident.
Monyluak said many residents had fled to nearby villages, while others had sought protection at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) compound in the county.
"The security situation has since stabilised, with government security forces deployed and now in control of the area," Monyluak added.
A UNMISS spokesperson said following the violence, peacekeepers were "temporarily sheltering some 1,000 civilians within our base in the area and providing emergency medical care to the injured".
