South Sudan rebels order aid workers out of Jonglei after seizing key town

JUBA — South Sudan’s main armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) issued a 72-hour ultimatum on Friday ordering humanitarian workers and civilians to vacate several areas in Jonglei State including the state capital Bor.

The order follows the rebel seizure of the strategic town of Pajut and comes amid a deepening crisis involving the systematic obstruction of international aid by both opposition and government officials.

The ultimatum, which significantly heightens the risk of a regional humanitarian collapse, was issued just hours after the group said it had captured Pajut, a vital corridor linking central Jonglei to the northeast.

In a statement, SPLM-IO spokesperson and former minister of water resources and irrigation in the transitional government Pal Mai Deng directed all aid workers in Bor, Duk, and Poktap to “leave the designated areas” within three days.

The group further warned that “civilians in the above designated areas must vacate areas near SSPDF bases within 72 hours from now,” citing what it described as a “Genocide stoppage” and “Peace-keeping” operation.

The directive marks the second time this month that the SPLA-IO has been accused of targeting humanitarian operations.

On Jan. 7, a coalition of eight Western embassies—including the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany—condemned a reported order by SPLA-IO Major General John Luk Bayak to seize NGO vehicles in northern Jonglei as a “flagrant violation of international law.”

“The Embassies of Canada, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States condemn a reported order… for humanitarian organizations to surrender their vehicles,” the envoys said in a joint statement. “No party or individual in South Sudan has the right to confiscate assets provided by our governments… in support of our effort to provide life-saving assistance.”

The SPLA-IO has since denied issuing the confiscation order, with Pal Mai Deng labeling the document “fake and forged” and insisting that General John Luk Bayak was “surprised by the reports.”

However, the group’s new 72-hour evacuation mandate suggests a formal escalation in their efforts to clear the region of international personnel.

The crisis in Jonglei is not limited to rebel-held areas. Last week, the United States government took the rare step of suspending aid to Ayod County, also in Jonglei, after the government-appointed commissioner allegedly detained an aid worker who refused to surrender humanitarian assets.

“On January 2, the Ayod County Commissioner detained an aid worker who refused an illegal request to surrender assets from a U.S. foreign assistance partner,” the U.S. Embassy said in a statement.

While the Ayod commissioner has since apologized to the U.S. Embassy for the incident, the suspension of aid remains a stark reminder of the “zero-tolerance policy” recently adopted by donors toward government interference.

The military momentum in Jonglei has already triggered a civilian exodus. Local sources in Gadiang told Sudans Post earlier that wounded government soldiers arriving in Bor from the northern front have sparked panic.

“Many families had already left earlier, but when the wounded soldiers arrived, more people decided to move,” one source said on condition of anonymity.

The SPLA-IO, which is technically a signatory to a 2018 peace deal, now considers that agreement “dead” due to the ongoing detention of its leader, Riek Machar, in Juba, and a number of attacks on its positions across the country.

The group’s latest statement explicitly linked the military escalation to his release.

“The Operation is demanding an immediate and unconditional release of the First Vice President and those unjustly detained along with him,” the statement said, noting that further details would be provided in a live broadcast tomorrow.

In a separate engagement, the rebels confirmed their forces have laid siege to Narus town following two days of fighting. They accused government soldiers there of “using [civilians] as human shields” by sheltering in residential areas.