SPLA-IO attacks Baliet in bid to push toward Malakal

MALAKAL — South Sudan’s main armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO), launched a dawn assault on the Baliet County headquarters on Saturday in an opportunistic attack aimed at severing government defensive lines and opening a direct route toward the Upper Nile state capital, Malakal.

While multiple social media accounts linked to opposition supporters claimed early in the day that their forces had overrun Baliet and were advancing northwest, visual evidence reviewed by Sudans Post contradicts these assertions.

Videos circulating online show South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and allied local militias celebrating within the town after the engagement. Sudans Post geolocated one of these videos to the center of Baliet town here (9°18’13.16″N, 32°03’56.70″E).

The footage reveals identifiable buildings and layouts that match satellite imagery of the county headquarters, confirming that government forces successfully repelled the assault and retained control of the strategic town.

Independent civilian sources in Baliet told Sudans Post that the fighting began around 5:00 AM local time, with opposition forces attacking from the east. The clashes lasted approximately one hour and 30 minutes.

“The fighting took place between 5:00 AM and 6:30 AM and the rebels, which are mostly the White Army, attacked the town from the east. The fighting ended with the defeat of the attack and now the town is returning to calm,” the source said, noting that several families had fled north toward Malakal, located approximately 47 kilometers away, to escape the crossfire.

In a statement, the local government in Baliet confirmed the incident, attributing the offensive to elements of the “so-called White Army” attempting to destabilize the region.

“Thanks to the vigilance and readiness of the forces deployed in the field, our forces were able to repel the attack decisively and efficiently, forcing the attackers to flee,” the statement read.

The county administration added that it is monitoring the security situation in coordination with military agencies and has reinforced precautionary measures to ensure public security.

The attack highlights the vulnerability of the state capital following recent shifts in military dispositions. Baliet lies on the northern bank of the Sobat River, creating a buffer between Malakal to the northwest and opposition strongholds to the east and south. To the south and west (eastern bank of Sobat) lie Fangak and Pigi counties, while Ulang and Nasir counties—traditional strongholds of the SPLA-IO—are situated to the east and southeast.

The assault appears to have exploited a security vacuum created by the redeployment of government troops. Much of the SSPDF’s 2^nd Infantry Division is based in Renk, while significant forces previously stationed in Malakal were recently dispatched to Nasir, Ulang, Maiwut, and Longechuk counties to counter other threats.

This redistribution of manpower left the Malakal axis exposed to opportunistic attacks.

While the precise origin of the attacking force remains unclear, military sources suggest two primary possibilities. The SPLA-IO forces involved could have advanced directly from their eastern strongholds in Ulang and Nasir. Alternatively, they may have crossed the Nile from Fangak and Ayod counties, moving through Pigi in Jonglei State to enter Upper Nile.

Recent fighting in Jonglei has sparked heavy government deployment in that sector, which may have displaced opposition forces from Ayod into Upper Nile, where they regrouped to carry out Saturday’s attack.