2009 Sobat River ambush
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Sobat River ambush was a battle between Jikany Nuer tribesmen and the Sudan
ese People's Liberation Army (SPLA) which was escort
ing a United Nations
(UN) aid convoy on 12 June 2009.
from Nasir to Akobo
, in Southern Sudan near the border with Ethiopia
. Following rains which washed away roads, the river was the only way to move aid around the south of the country, which has suffered from tribal fighting – the river itself being closed earlier in the year due to increased tension in the area.
The 27 UN barges were travelling in company with four other barges. The barges were only allowed to use the river following negotiations with high-ranking government officials, who agreed to a 150-man SPLA escort.
The convoy was operating under the auspices of the UN World Food Programme
(WFP) and was to have helped support around 18,000 of the 135,000 people displaced by recent tribal fighting which claimed hundreds of lives.
The convoy was stopped about ten or twenty miles downstream of Nasir by a force of Jikany Nuer
tribesmen. The tribesmen demanded to search the barges to check that arms and ammunition were not being shipped to their rivals in the Lou Nuer tribe. They searched one barge, finding only food, but opened fire when the rest of the convoy tried to continue its journey. The attack killed at least 40 Sudanese soldiers and wounded 30 others. The deaths of several women and children by gunfire or drowning have also been reported. The wounded were taken to a Médecins Sans Frontières
hospital in Nasir which is braced to accept further casualties. This is believed to be the first time the SPLA has suffered significant casualties in the recent tribal violence.
There is fear of renewed fighting in the area, following the recent end of the Second Sudanese Civil War
and the upcoming 2010 national elections and 2011 referendum on independence
for Southern Sudan.
Clashes between rival tribes and ethnic groupings are common in Southern Sudan and usually occur over cattle or access to natural resources. Fighting in May 2009
in South Kurdufan
between the Rizeigat
and Messiria
tribes claimed more than 1,000 lives.
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
ese People's Liberation Army (SPLA) which was escort
Escort
-Protection:*Police escort, a feature offered by law enforcement agencies to assist in transporting individuals.*Safety escort service, a service provided on and around many college and university campuses to help ensure the safety of students and staff....
ing a United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
(UN) aid convoy on 12 June 2009.
Inspection and exchange of gunfire
The UN convoy consisted of 27 barges travelling on the Sobat RiverSobat River
The Sobat River is a river in South Sudan, Africa. The most southerly of the great eastern tributaries of the Nile, the Sobat enters the White Nile at Doleib Hill, near the city of Malakal in the Upper Nile state of South Sudan...
from Nasir to Akobo
Akobo, Sudan
-Location:It is located in Akobo County, Jonglei State, in the northeastern part of South Sudan, near the International border with Ethiopia. Its location lies approximately , by road, northeast of Juba, the capital and largest city in the country.-Population:...
, in Southern Sudan near the border with Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. Following rains which washed away roads, the river was the only way to move aid around the south of the country, which has suffered from tribal fighting – the river itself being closed earlier in the year due to increased tension in the area.
The 27 UN barges were travelling in company with four other barges. The barges were only allowed to use the river following negotiations with high-ranking government officials, who agreed to a 150-man SPLA escort.
The convoy was operating under the auspices of the UN World Food Programme
World Food Programme
The World Food Programme is the food aid branch of the United Nations, and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger worldwide. WFP provides food, on average, to 90 million people per year, 58 million of whom are children...
(WFP) and was to have helped support around 18,000 of the 135,000 people displaced by recent tribal fighting which claimed hundreds of lives.
The convoy was stopped about ten or twenty miles downstream of Nasir by a force of Jikany Nuer
Jikany Nuer
The Jikany Nuer are a section of the Nuer people who mainly live in the eastern part of Upper Nile state in South Sudan, particularly around Nasir in Nasir County.-Civil war:...
tribesmen. The tribesmen demanded to search the barges to check that arms and ammunition were not being shipped to their rivals in the Lou Nuer tribe. They searched one barge, finding only food, but opened fire when the rest of the convoy tried to continue its journey. The attack killed at least 40 Sudanese soldiers and wounded 30 others. The deaths of several women and children by gunfire or drowning have also been reported. The wounded were taken to a Médecins Sans Frontières
Médecins Sans Frontières
' , or Doctors Without Borders, is a secular humanitarian-aid non-governmental organization best known for its projects in war-torn regions and developing countries facing endemic diseases. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland...
hospital in Nasir which is braced to accept further casualties. This is believed to be the first time the SPLA has suffered significant casualties in the recent tribal violence.
Aftermath
While sixteen UN barges were able to return to Nasir, the other eleven remain unaccounted for, and are believed to have been sunk or looted. The WFP lost 735 tonnes of food aid in the attack and airlifted ten tonnes of aid to the area on 13 June. The attack may have been made to prevent the food supplies reaching the Lou Nuer tribe which is alleged to have killed around 70 members of the Jikany Nuer tribe in attacks in May 2009. It is feared that the Lou Nuer may be planning a retaliatory strike against the Jikany Nuer.There is fear of renewed fighting in the area, following the recent end of the Second Sudanese Civil War
Second Sudanese Civil War
The Second Sudanese Civil War started in 1983, although it was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. Although it originated in southern Sudan, the civil war spread to the Nuba mountains and Blue Nile by the end of the 1980s....
and the upcoming 2010 national elections and 2011 referendum on independence
Southern Sudanese independence referendum, 2011
A referendum took place in Southern Sudan from 9 to 15 January 2011, on whether the region should remain a part of Sudan or become independent. The referendum was one of the consequences of the 2005 Naivasha Agreement between the Khartoum central government and the Sudan People's Liberation...
for Southern Sudan.
Clashes between rival tribes and ethnic groupings are common in Southern Sudan and usually occur over cattle or access to natural resources. Fighting in May 2009
2009 Sudanese nomadic conflicts
Since 2009, a series of conflicts between rival nomadic tribes in Sudan and South Sudan have caused a large number of casualties and displaced thousands.- Background:...
in South Kurdufan
South Kurdufan
Southern Kordofan is one of the 15 wilayat or provinces of Sudan. It has an area of 158,355 km² and an estimated population of approximately 1,100,000 people . Kaduqli is the capital of the state...
between the Rizeigat
Rizeigat
The Rizeigat, or Rizigat, or Rezeigat are a Muslim and Arabic tribe of the nomadic Bedouin Baggara people in Sudan's Darfur region. The Rizeigat belong to the greater Baggara Arabs fraternity of Darfur and Kordofan and speak Sudanese Arabic...
and Messiria
Messiria
The Messiria known also under the name of Misseriya Arabs are a branch of the Baggara Arabs tribes. Their language is the Sudanese Arabic. Numbering over one million, the Baggara are the second largest people group in Western Sudan, extending into Eastern Chad. They are primarily nomadic cattle...
tribes claimed more than 1,000 lives.