JUBA, March 7, 2025 – A United Nations helicopter was fired upon in Upper Nile State, northeastern South Sudan, resulting in one fatality and two injuries among the crew, as announced by the UN mission in the country on Friday.
According to a press release from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), “A United Nations helicopter conducting an evacuation process in Nasir, in Upper Nile State, came under fire today, resulting in the killing of a crew member and serious injuries to two others.”
The UN mission further reported that several members of the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF), including an injured general, were killed during UNMISS’s efforts to extract them from the area. They clarified that this operation was organized “at the request of all parties involved.”
Nicholas Haysom, the head of the mission, condemned the attack as “utterly abhorrent and may constitute a war crime.” UNMISS has called for an investigation into the incident.
In light of the escalating tensions in Upper Nile, the UN mission is urging “the country’s leaders to urgently intervene to resolve the tensions through dialogue.”
