JUBA (SOUTH SUDAN): Fighting between rival communities in a disputed region claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan has killed 54 people, including two UN peacekeepers, the United Nations said on Monday, calling for calm.The clashes in Abyei, a contested oil-rich territory straddling the border of both countries, broke out at the weekend, according to local authorities.The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) said it “strongly condemns these attacks against civilians and peacekeepers”.”Currently, according to local authorities, 52 civilians have lost their lives, while 64 others are said to be gravely wounded,” it said.It said peacekeepers came under fire on Sunday “while transporting affected civilians from a UNISFA base to a hospital”.A Pakistani peacekeeper was killed, and “four uniformed personnel and one local civilian sustained injury”, it said.A Ghanaian peacekeeper had been killed on Saturday, UNISFA added, calling for an investigation into the violence.Located between Sudan and South Sudan, Abyei has been a flashpoint since the South gained independence in 2011.According to authorities in the Abyei Special Administrative Area, armed youths and a local rebel militia carried out a series of “barbaric coordinated attacks”, starting on Saturday morning.
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