By Deng Ghai Deng
Wednesday violence in Nasir County, Upper Nile State, where 17 people, including four civilians died, was not a targeted attack but a dispute between two soldiers.
South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang said the incident stemmed from relationship affairs.
The army spokesperson was responding to an allegation raised by Nasir County Commissioner, James Gatluak, that the SSPDF launched a deliberate assault on civilians.
The SSPDF’s explanation centered on a complicated love triangle involving two servicemen and a married woman.
According to Gen. Koang, one soldier from the 2nd Infantry Division, stationed in Malakal, discovered that his wife had entered into an adulterous relationship with a fellow officer from the Nasir special operation.
The affair reportedly led to the birth of a child. Upon learning about the situation, the soldier from Malakal sought legal recourse and was scheduled to appear before a traditional court regarding the matter.
On the day of the incident, after the court session adjourned, the Malakal-based soldier and his bodyguards were ambushed and shot dead.
Gen. Koang stated that upon hearing gunfire, SSPDF forces responded and were subsequently caught in a second ambush, resulting in the deaths of 13 servicemen, including a colonel.
“The court session went on well until in the afternoon at around 3 PM—the court session was adjourned and he was told to return to his place with the wife,” Gen. Koang explained. “While on his way to the military barrack, he was ambushed and shot dead along with his bodyguards.”
Koang emphasized that the military has been instructed to maintain a defensive posture while a joint committee that shall be formed will investigate the incident.
Commissioner Gatluak had accused the SSPDF of using heavy weaponry against civilians, claiming that artillery shells landed near his office and residence.
In response, Koang explained that local commanders determine the necessary support based on perceived threats, noting that local populations are heavily armed with different types of weapons, including even rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launchers and PKMs.
“If the volume of fire was too heavy and was coming from all directions, then the local area commander decided to respond maybe using shelling or artillery fire based on the security threat that was being posed and the distance,” Koang clarified.
Despite the SSPDF’s insistence that their actions were in self-defense against armed civilians, the situation remains tense, and further investigations are expected to clarify the events that transpired.