BREAKING | SSPDF orders civilians in three counties in Northern Jonglei to evacuate

BOR – The South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) has ordered civilians living in parts of Nyirol, Uror and Akobo counties to immediately evacuate areas under the control of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO).

In a statement issued on Tuesday, SSPDF spokesperson Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang said the directive targets civilians residing in locations close to SPLA-IO barracks, assembly points and rally areas.

“The SSPDF command/leadership hereby orders civilians to immediately evacuate areas under the control of SPLA-IO, especially those in proximity to barracks, assembly and rally areas, as well as resist deliberate efforts aimed at making them human shields,” the statement read.

The military said the orders specifically apply to civilians in the Lou-Nuer counties of Nyirol, Uror and Akobo.

According to the SSPDF, the evacuation directive is intended to minimise civilian harm during ongoing and planned military operations in the affected areas.

“On the same note, the above orders serve to avoid and minimise collateral damage during phases of military operations,” Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai added.

The announcement comes amid heightened military activity and renewed clashes between government forces and SPLA-IO elements in parts of Upper Nile and Jonglei regions, raising concerns about civilian safety and displacement.

On Monday, an SSPF gunship bombed a market in Lankien Town in Nyirol County, killing over 26 people, including children and the elderly.

Pal Mai Deng, the SPLM-IO spokesperson and chairperson of the National Committee for Information and Communication, claimed the attack was deliberate and part of the government’s strategy to provoke civilians to take part in the conflict.

“Juba regime’s targeting of civilians is calculated and deliberate. It is not a coercive military measure to bend the opposition to its will, but to provoke civilians into war to make it tribal so that the regime will have a narrative to tell some communities that its survival is the survival of those particular communities,” he wrote Tuesday.

“Yesterday’s airstrike on Nyirol County’s Lankien is part of this tactic of the regime. It has been licensed to pursue this policy since 2013, and now in 2025,” he added.

Mai stated that “In the process of engaging these monsters, we will not allow ourselves to follow their destructive path for we know the governability of South Sudan depends on acceptance of the system and collective support of every tribe.”