Olony orders troops to ‘spare no lives’ in Jonglei offensive

JUBA – A senior South Sudanese military commander has instructed his forces to “spare no lives,” including the elderly, as they prepare for a major offensive in the volatile Jonglei state, remarks that have sparked immediate alarm among observers in a region with a long history of ethnically driven atrocities.

General Johnson Olony, the deputy army chief for disarmament and mobilization, issued the directive while addressing troops at a site geolocated by Sudans Post to Poktap, the administrative headquarters of Duk County in Jonglei State.

Olony, who also leads the “Agwelek Division”—the official designation for his thousands-strong militia—commands forces that have not yet been fully integrated into the national South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF).

These units have been deployed to the frontline in Jonglei to crush an advancing force of the main armed opposition, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO). The opposition forces, who commanders say are hoping to “march on Juba,” have made multiple territorial gains against the government in the past week.

“We are tired of the problems in Greater Upper Nile… Every year there is a coup. Every year there is a problem,” Olony told the assembled troops, referring to the cyclical violence between the Chollo, Dinka, and Nuer communities.

“But this time… this will mark the end of [the crisis in] Upper Nile,” he said. “When we arrive there, I don’t want you to spare an elderly person, or a chicken, or even a house… so that they don’t disturb us every year.”

Human rights groups have repeatedly warned that such inflammatory rhetoric by commanders in the Greater Upper Nile region often serves as a precursor to targeted killings, sexual violence, and the widespread looting of civilian property.

Olony, a controversial figure with a history of shifting alliances, was appointed to the senior army post by President Salva Kiir in January 2025. His Agwelek forces, traditionally drawn from the Shilluk ethnic group, are currently operating alongside the national army, specifically to protect oil infrastructure near the Sudan border following a recent security agreement.

Despite the aggressive orders, Olony publicly acknowledged severe logistical shortages hindering his forces, including a lack of vehicles and basic kit such as boots. He issued an ultimatum to the military command in Juba, warning that his troops would not advance without adequate transport, and demanded at least 30 pickup trucks mounted with heavy guns.

“If the government fails to bring the vehicles, we will remain behind. If the forces who already have vehicles and guns go, we will stay here we will not go,” he said.

Describing the conflict as a cyclical war without clear reasons, the 52-year-old commander told his forces he was determined to force a conclusion to the fighting this year.

“We have even grown old in the SPLM. I was 19 years old when I joined the SPLM. Now I am 52 years old,” Olony said. “It is bullet after bullet, and the reason is unknown. But I will end it for good.”