SSPDF-allied youths accused of killings, cross-border raids in Akobo

JUBA — The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) has accused government forces and allied armed youth groups of carrying out killings, cattle raids and cross-border attacks in deserted Akobo County of Jonglei State.

In a statement issued Saturday, SPLM-IO spokesperson Pal Mai Deng claimed that armed youth from the Anuak and Murle communities, allegedly operating alongside the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF), had been involved in what he described as “massacre of Akobo civilians.”

The opposition group alleged that Anuak fighters, led by a local administrator from Alala Payam, arrived in Akobo on March 26 and subsequently joined the SSPDF.

It claimed that civilians who had presented themselves to government forces were targeted and killed, with bodies allegedly concealed “in houses to avoid documentation.”

The statement further accused Murle armed youth of entering Akobo earlier in SSPDF convoys and participating in daily cattle raids and attacks on civilians, forcing many residents to flee into neighbouring Ethiopia.

“Murle armed youth within SSPDF forces in Akobo crossed the Akobo river… into Ethiopian territories and raided cattle of civilians displaced from South Sudan,” the statement said, referring to an alleged cross-border raid on March 27.

The SPLA-IO also claimed that some of the alleged attackers were wounded during the raid and were later treated at an SSPDF base in Akobo, presenting this as evidence of collaboration between government forces and allied militias.

In its most serious allegation, the opposition group described the violence as part of what it termed a “state policy,” accusing authorities in Juba of targeting Nuer civilians in the area. It further singled out Jonglei State Governor Riek Gai Kok, alleging he played a role in mobilising armed youth to support the operations.

The statement also claimed that government forces and their allies had threatened to pursue and attack civilians who fled across the border into Ethiopia’s Akobo area.

There was no immediate response from the SSPDF or the Jonglei State government to the accusations.

The claims come amid ongoing instability in Akobo County, where fighting between SSPDF and SPLA-IO forces has triggered large-scale displacement in recent weeks. Humanitarian agencies estimate that tens of thousands of civilians have fled the area, with many crossing into Ethiopia in search of safety.

The situation remains fluid, with reports of continued insecurity, limited humanitarian access, and rising fears of further violence along the border.