Intercommunal clashes kill 71 people in South Sudan

Published On 10 Oct 202610 Oct 2026.

Key points

• On September 22, South Sudan's President Salva Kiir dissolved the transitional administration, three months before the country's first election since its independence in 2011.
• His decree concluded a power-sharing arrangement set up under a 2018 peace agreement that halted a five-year civil war in which regarding 400, 000 residents were killed.
• On September 17, 26 individuals were killed, and 82 were injured during days of fighting in a disputed region on the border between South Sudan and Sudan.
• Intercommunal clashes have killed 71 individuals in South Sudan's town of Rumbek, in Lakes State, the caretaker administration noted in an official note.
• "According to initial security reports, approximately 71 people were reportedly killed, " including four soldiers, the South Sudanese interim Ministry of Information remarked in an official note on Friday.

"According to initial security reports, approximately 71 people were reportedly killed, " including four soldiers, the South Sudanese interim Ministry of Information remarked in an official note on Friday. The exact number of fatalities has yet to be verified.

According to AFP, witnesses remarked a group of residents from outside Rumbek tried to take control of the town and briefly succeeded. The attackers withdrew when police and military reinforcements arrived. Two witnesses remarked the fighting moved outside the city limits.

Notably, the administration statement stated, "Rumbek town is currently under the control of Government security forces, and efforts are ongoing to restore normalcy".

In practice, the caretaker administration strongly condemned the violence and called on all communities to "exercise maximum restraint and refrain from acts of retaliation that could further escalate tensions".

On September 22, South Sudan's President Salva Kiir dissolved the transitional administration, three months before the country's first election since its independence in 2011. Kiir appointed a caretaker administration as the country prepares for its first-ever national elections.

Intercommunal conflict has continued throughout South Sudan, resulting in multiple deadly clashes.

In early March, intercommunal violence left at least 169 individuals dead after dozens of armed men attacked a town.

For now, intercommunal clashes kill 71 people in South Sudan remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.