Fresh fighting in southern Unity after ambush on SPLA-IO official

JUBA — Fresh fighting broke out overnight in southern Unity State after forces loyal to the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLA-IO) clashed with government troops in Koch County, according to local officials and military sources, highlighting the ongoing threat to South Sudan’s fragile peace deal.

Major Kerbino Yai Pazale, spokesperson for the SPLA-IO’s sector two, claimed in an interview with Sudans Post that the violence began after the movement’s military commissioner in Koch County, Colonel Bany Makon Chany, was ambushed by government forces in the Kauchlual area while crossing near Koch town.

Colonel Pazale said the fighting started at approximately 1:25 a.m. (2225 GMT). He added that communication with the SPLA-IO military commissioner had been cut off since the morning, and details of casualties remained unclear.

“We got the information this morning that the military commissioner was attacked, but his phone is not going through as we have tried to reach out to him since morning up to this time we can’t contact him,” Pazale stated.

In a contradictory account, Koch County Commissioner David Gatmai Wal confirmed to Sudans Post that fighting had taken place in Soriah Payam, but countered that SPLA-IO forces had initiated the attack against the government troops.

Commissioner Gatmai said one SPLA-IO fighter was killed during the clashes, while two others were taken captive by the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) operating in the area.

“The two soldiers were captured alive are in the police detention,” he said.

Wal further claimed that the fighting began early in the morning and the SPLA-IO fighters later fled to an unknown location, with government forces searching for them since.

The latest clashes underline the continued insecurity in southern Unity State, a region that has seen repeated collapses of fragile ceasefires amid rivalry between government forces and the SPLM-IO, despite the existence of a national peace agreement.

Efforts to obtain immediate comment from the SSPDF spokesperson were unsuccessful.