The oil-rich region of Abyei, claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan, has been the site of frequent violence between different factions of the Dinka ethnic group. In a recent ambush, six people, including a senior local administrator, were killed while returning from a New Year celebration in Rummamer county. Government officials attributed the attack to armed youth from Twic county of Warrap, while others are withholding judgment. This is not the first incident of violence in the region, as Abyei has been the site of ongoing ethnic clashes. Since South Sudan declared independence from Sudan in 2011, Abyei has been caught in the middle, governed by an administration comprising officials from both countries. This violence occurs against the backdrop of a larger civil war in South Sudan, which began shortly after independence and has left the country struggling to unify its military factions.