TEMPO.CO, Jonglei - A group of gunmen pretending to be peaceful protesters at UN office in South Sudan forced their way in to a UN base that shelters around 5,000 civilians.
"The armed mob forced entry on to the site and opened fire on the internally displaced persons sheltering inside the base," Stephane Dujarric, UN spokesman, told Reuters today.
An anonymous UN source said at least 48 people were killed and 60 others injured in the attack on the base in Bor in northern Jonglei state, where there are Indian and South Korean peacekeepers.
Dujarric said dozens of civilians and two UN peacekeepers were wounded, but the number of deaths had yet to be confirmed. Troops were unprepared for the assault as the gunmen were under the guise of presenting a petition to UNMISS (the U.N. peacekeeping mission).
More than one million people have left their homes since fighting erupted in the world’s youngest country last December between President Salva Kiir's supporters and soldiers loyal to his sacked vice president, Riek Machar.
ANINGTIAS JATMIKA | REUTERS