SPLA-IO accuses army chief of tribal mobilisation in Jonglei as tensions build up

BOR — The Sudan People’s Liberation Army–In Opposition (SPLA-IO) has accused the Chief of Defence Forces of the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF), Gen. Paul Nang, of using tribal rhetoric to mobilise communities in Jonglei State, as renewed tensions build between opposition and government forces.

In a statement issued on Thursday, January 22, SPLA-IO spokesperson Col. Lam Paul Gabriel alleged that Gen. Nang invoked past conflicts to rally support from the Bor community during a televised address aired by the South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) on January 21. According to the SPLA-IO, the SSPDF chief referenced the 1991 and 2013 conflicts in what it described as an attempt to stir tribal sentiments against the opposition forces operating in Jonglei.

The SPLA-IO statement further claimed that this was not the first time Gen. Nang had employed tribal language in public remarks. It referred to a speech he reportedly delivered in March 2025 during a funeral ceremony in his home area, where he allegedly called for retaliatory attacks against the SPLA-IO.

The opposition group also accused the SSPDF of conducting bombardments in parts of Upper Nile and Jonglei states, which it said affected civilian areas. These claims could not be independently verified.

The statement additionally alleged that Gen. Nang harbours hostility toward a particular community while deploying SSPDF commanders from the same community in military operations against areas associated with the group. The opposition questioned why references to the 1991 and 2013 conflicts were being raised in current military mobilisation efforts.

In response to the alleged rhetoric, the SPLA-IO Acting Chief of General Staff, Lt. Gen. Peter Thok Chuol Luak, called on the Bor community and other South Sudanese citizens to reject what he termed tribal messaging and to distance themselves from SSPDF military installations to avoid potential crossfire.

“The SPLA-IO has always directed its operations toward SSPDF bases and joint forces positions, not civilian areas,” the statement quoted Chuol Luak as saying.

He also appealed to SSPDF personnel to resist what he described as the politicisation of ethnicity within the armed forces, urging them not to be drawn into actions targeting particular communities.

The SPLA-IO reiterated that its forces would continue military operations against what it described as a corrupt administration, while maintaining that its struggle is for peace and freedom for displaced and suffering citizens.

The statement concluded with directives to SPLA-IO troops to focus operations on SSPDF bases, National Security Service headquarters, police posts, and military convoys.

South Sudan’s military leadership has not yet publicly responded to the accusations. The developments come amid heightened insecurity in parts of Jonglei and Upper Nile states, raising fresh concerns over the fragile implementation of the 2018 revitalised peace agreement.