7 May 2013 - Hundreds of South Sudanese today marched through Juba, demonstrating against the killing of the Ngok Dinka Paramount Chief in the contested region of Abyei on 4 May.

Chief Kuol Deng Kuol Arop and an Ethiopian peacekeeper were killed during an attack on a UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) convoy by Misseriya assailants. The ambush left two other peacekeepers seriously injured.

Deng Athuai, chairman of the South Sudan Civil Society Alliance, which organized the demonstration, handed over statements to representatives of UNMISS and the African Union in Juba.

He said they "regretted the assassination of Chief Koul Deng" and were raising their voices because they did not want war.

"If the Misseriya really want to commit to peace, we need them to make a big commitment...," said Mr. Athuai.

The president of the Chiefs' Council of South Sudan, Deng Macham Auguei, called for urgent action against the perpetrators of the killing.

"The UN must take action," he said. "The person who killed Kuol Deng must be brought to book."

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and the African Union chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma both condemned the attack and called for both the Sudan and South Sudan governments to remain calm and ensure the situation did not go out of control.