South Sudan army rubbishes UN allegations of poisoned water sources

JUBA – The spokesperson of the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF), Lul Ruai Koang, has dismissed allegations that government forces poisoned water sources during ongoing fighting, describing the claims as “vague” and calling for concrete evidence.

The accusations were raised by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, who said reports received by the United Nations suggested that dozens of community wells had been destroyed or contaminated during military operations in parts of South Sudan.

Responding to the allegations, Maj. Gen. Ruai said he had only recently received the report and questioned the absence of specific details regarding the alleged incidents.

“Yes, someone forwarded it to me. The report was vague. They did not talk about the locations,” he said. “It just talked about poisoning of water points. Where? We do not know.”

He challenged the source of the claims to provide clear evidence and identify the exact locations where the alleged contamination occurred.

“Let the author of that statement make more clarifications. Where did the poisoning of boreholes take place? Exactly where? Let that person name the location and what kind of substance was used,” he said.

Ruai also questioned whether any scientific testing had been conducted to confirm the allegations.

“Where are some samples taken for testing? Because here we have the Bureau of Standards. Let them show us where the testing was done so that they concluded the boreholes were poisoned.”

He described the accusation as serious, adding that it was the first time he had heard such claims.

“This is a very serious allegation. This is my first time hearing that some water points were poisoned,” he said.

Army gives update on Akobo fighting

Ruai also provided an update on recent military operations that saw government forces enter Akobo in Jonglei State, saying the town was taken without resistance.

“We took Akobo without a fight. And there were no civilians in Akobo town,” he said.

According to the army spokesperson, soldiers found evidence of widespread looting when they entered the town.

“What we discovered is that a lot of looting was done before we got into Akobo. The main hospital was looted. The market was looted,” he said.

UN raises alarm over civilian killings

In its statement, the UN said it was “horrified” by reports of escalating violence across South Sudan.

Türk said more than 160 civilians had been killed over the past 17 days, including 139 people reportedly killed on March 1 in Abiemnom locality in the Ruweng Administrative Area.

The UN also accused government forces of killing civilians in Ayod County and beheading others in Western Bahr el Ghazal State.

“Civilians are being brutally killed, injured and displaced on a daily basis as hostilities escalate between the army and opposition forces,” Türk said, warning that some acts “may amount to war crimes.”

The UN Human Rights Office further reported that about 99 wells were allegedly destroyed or poisoned during government airstrikes.

Army calls for evidence

Ruai said the military would not shy away from accountability if credible evidence emerged.

“Let whoever is saying there was killing of civilians or poisoning of water come with enough information to tell that we did that,” he said. “We are not shy away from holding anyone accountable.”

Türk has called for an immediate ceasefire and renewed dialogue to prevent the country from sliding back into full-scale conflict.