By Yiep Joseph and Kei Emmanuel
Clashes have intensified between South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) and Sudan People’s Liberation Army In Opposition (SPLA-IO) in Western Equatoria State.
Several deaths cases have been registered and many people displaced.
According to local authorities, property worth millions of South Sudanese pounds got burnt when the market between Nagero County and Kobribu was set ablaze during recent clashes.
Activists described that civilians were shot and killed in cold blood, markets looted, and health facilities destroyed—as inhuman and a violation of human rights.
Concerns are growing that the conflict could escalate if there is no immediate intervention.
In a statement extended to the media, the Commissioner of Nagero County in Western Equatoria state Henry Bangada Assaya said that on Friday, February 7, 2025, a fresh confrontation among forces in the county resulted in burning homes, looting businesses, and committing human rights violations, among others.
He called on the government to quickly respond without delay in order to rescue the lives of the civilians in the area.
Innocent people were subjected to severe beatings, resulting in the tragic death of seven individuals.
The executive director of the county was also seriously assaulted and is now in critical condition.
He called on the government and peace to quickly unify forces to end continuous confrontations among forces.
“I strongly urge the national and state governments to urgently unify the Second High Command to uphold peace and prevent instability across the region. Urgently relocate all SPLA-IO forces for the second phase of training as part of the unification of the national army, in accordance with the peace agreement,” he said.
Due to fear of escalation of the conflict, the commissioner appealed for immediate withdrawal of SSPDF forces from Kubiri Bou to prevent further atrocities against civilians.
The commissioner called on peace monitors to intervene and investigate crimes committed by the forces against the civilians as well as violations of the peace agreement.
“I urge peace guarantors, including IGAD, the African Union, the United Nations, and humanitarian agencies, to urgently intervene and investigate these crimes,” he said.
He emphasized the need to investigate the continued violence against civilians, adding that it undermines the peace process.
“The national government and international partners must act swiftly before more innocent lives are lost; justice must prevail, and those responsible must be held accountable,” he said.
In a separate statement, the Executive Director of the Community Empowerment Progress Organization (CEPO) has called for a swift and unhindered investigation into last week’s clashes in Nagero County and Tombura
Yakani called on the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM), the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), and other peace partners to conduct a thorough investigation into the clashes and make the report public.
“This is unacceptable,” Mr. Yakani said. “Shamefully, it is happening under the watch of the leadership. Investigate these atrocities immediately and render a public report. I urge human rights institutions, like the UN Human Rights Commission for South Sudan, to investigate these incidents, and those responsible must be held accountable for their crimes.”
The activist assured the public that CEPO will continue to document atrocities committed by individuals in government. Once the Commission for Truth, Healing, and Reconciliation is established, they will forward perpetrators to the commission for prosecution.
Yakani estimated that traders lost over seventeen million South Sudanese pounds during the clashes and urged the Chief of Defense Forces and state leadership to provide security and protection to innocent civilians.
He called on the Governor of Western Equatoria State and the military leadership, particularly the commander of Division 6 and the CDF, to allow unhindered delivery of humanitarian services to the affected population, who are already without life-saving services, such as medicine, due to the burnt health facilities.
“Players in this conflict must ensure they take full responsibility for ensuring the distribution of medical services to the benefit of the affected common citizen and prevent further atrocities,” Mr. Yakani added. “If they don’t, we are ready to expose the names of individuals who might have been fueling or engineering these atrocities.”
Meanwhile, Major Costa Joseph Aburida, a state representative from Tombura County in Western Equatoria State, accused government soldiers of looting, burning houses, and killing civilians along the road from Nagero County to Tombura County.
He said the clashes began over the weekend at 4 p.m. in Nagero County before escalating to neighboring areas of Magboru Payam along the Wau road leading to Tombura County.
Mr. Joseph said SSPDF soldiers are responsible for the death of Juma Joseph and three other children whom they are holding captive.
“The situation is worrying,” Mr. Joseph said. “I have just been called; another woman has been killed. People are living in fear and are everywhere in the bush; they cannot come out. They (SSPDF) started burning houses and even destroyed two primary healthcare centers along the road from Nagero County to Tombura County. They were on a rampage.”
He called on UNMISS, CTSAMVM, and state authorities to urgently intervene and restore security in Tombura County.
However, SSPDF Army Spokesperson Maj. Gen. Lual Ruai Koang stated that his office has yet to gather comprehensive reports and cannot provide detailed information regarding the latest clashes between SPLM-IO forces and government soldiers.
He acknowledged the clashes and said the incident has been reported to the Joint Defense Border and Verification Mechanism (JDBVM).
“There was a meeting arranged by the joint security board to bring together the two army spokespersons of SPLM-IO and from the army side, so as they can stop the media war, but that meeting did not take place,” the army spokesperson stated. “Hopefully, it will be within this week, and so now I cannot respond. After all, it is weekend-offices are closed and the information is not verified.”
In November 2024, the peace monitoring body (RJMEC) urged both national and state authorities to prioritize the unification and deployment of forces as stipulated in the 2018 peace agreement that ended the five-year civil war in South Sudan.
The body called on the parties to speed up the process in order to ensure one unified army in the country.