South Sudan attack kills 26 as drought emergency declared

An attack on a military base in South Sudan killed 26 people, including six attackers, as Warrap State also declared an emergency over a prolonged drought.

William Deng Wol, the state information minister, said armed men attacked the base in Warrap on Friday, killing 16 military and police personnel and four civilians. He said six attackers also died.

It was not clear what triggered the attack. Warrap State is affected by inter-communal violence, often involving revenge killings and cattle raids.

The state also declared an emergency on Friday over what Deng Wol called an “unprecedented” dry spell. He said severe rainfall deficits had caused crop failures and major losses of livestock and grazing lands.

With the El Nino weather pattern threatening much of eastern Africa with major climate disasters in the coming weeks, the Warrap official appealed for help from South Sudan's central government and international partners “to avert the looming catastrophic famine”.

South Sudan is attempting to hold elections in December for the first time since gaining independence in 2011. The UN-appointed Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan said last month that the elections could fuel renewed conflict and heighten the risk of atrocities.

A 2018 power-sharing agreement between President Salva Kiir and his longtime rival Riek Machar brought peace after civil war, but the arrangement has lately fallen apart. Machar is under arrest and facing a treason trial, and their forces have fought sporadic battles in recent months.