Several people have been killed in South Sudan after UN experience to evacuate members of the National Army fell under fire, UN said.
A crew member died when a UN helicopter was shot dead, a statement from his mission in South Sudan, Unmiss, said. He added that the injured southern Sudanese general and several other troops were also killed during an evacuation attempt in the Upper Nile.
The UN said the attack on her helicopter “could be a war crime.”
Later, South Sudan President Salva Kiir said a second helicopter had managed to take off after the attack, just to collapse the ground, killing everyone aboard. But Unmiss said both his planes landed safely in Malacal.
Twenty -seven soldiers from South Sudan have been killed in general, says information minister Michael Makui has been quoted by Reuters news agency.
The weeks of Battles in the upper Nile have already threatened the fragile peace deal between President Kiir and Vice President Rick Machar.
In 2013, a break between the couple caused a five -year civil war, during which 400,000 people were killed and 2.5 million were forced by their homes.
In 2018, a peace agreement was signed, but the situation has been implemented since then.
Continuing fighting in the upper Nile are between the Armed Forces and the White Army, an ethnic militia, who was an ally with a Machar during the war.
In agreement with the White Army and the army of South Sudan, Unmiss evacuated wounded troops from the conflict area.
UNMISS leader Nicholas Haisom said in a statement that the attack on his mission staff was “completely disgusting and could be a war crime under international law. We are deeply sorry for the tragic loss of our colleague and expressing our sincere condolences to his relatives.
“We are also sorry for the murder of those we were trying to extract, especially when assurances were received for a safe passage.”
President Kiir said the army general, who died in the attack, was Gen. Magr Dak, who heads the forces located in Nasir, a region in the upper Nile.
Along with the fighting, the murder of arrests raised fears that South Sudan could see a return to war.
A number of Mahar allies, including the Minister of Petroleum and a senior army general, were detained earlier this week.
After the attack on Friday, Cyrus called on the nation to “remain calm.”
“I said from time to time that our country would not return to war. Let no one accept the law in their own hands. The government I am leading will handle this crisis,” he said.
South Sudan is the most nation in the world after being separated from Sudan in 2011.