JUBA, South Sudan, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- The U.N. Mission in South Sudan said more than two dozen civilians were injured when bullets struck a safe haven in the northern town of Malakal.
UNMISS said a hospital at its peacekeeping base in the northern town was damaged when stray bullets struck the compound, injuring at least 32 civilians.
The facility is serving as a safe haven for at least 22,000 people, the mission said Monday. Overall, the United Nations said more than 70,000 civilians have taken shelter at its bases in South Sudan since conflict erupted mid-December.
Violence broke out Dec. 15 when President Salva Kiir accused former Vice President Riek Machar of trying to overthrow his government. Machar, sidelined by Kiir in July, denies attempting a coup. Fighting nonetheless continues between their rival ethnic communities, though their representatives are trying to hammer out a peace agreement in neighboring Ethiopia.
"The mission once again condemns any fighting taking place nearby its bases and calls on all parties to respect the integrity of U.N. installations and the safety and security of civilians taking refuge inside the bases and all U.N. personnel," UNMISS said.
Battle lines in the conflict are fluid. South Sudan's military said Monday it recaptured Malakal after a week of fighting with rebel forces.
