Unity state governor relocates to UN-protected site after fighting near Bentiu

JUBA — The governor of South Sudan’s Unity State, Riek Bim Top, relocated early Sunday to a United Nations-protected site near Bentiu after fighting escalated around the state capital, according to multiple security sources with direct knowledge of the developments.

The governor moved to the former Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) field hospital, a facility located within the same secured perimeter as a United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) base and adjacent to the Bentiu IDP camp, the sources said.

From there, he coordinated security operations as clashes spread across areas west and north of the town.

Fighting began on Saturday near Nyuelnyeul, close to the Sudanese border, before expanding toward Rubkona town’s western suburbs.

The Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) said government forces attacked one of its positions in the area, a claim the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) have not publicly commented on.

By Sunday morning, reconnaissance units from both sides clashed in Pakur, west of Rubkona, followed by artillery shelling of opposition-held areas there, according to residents and security officials.

Security sources said the governor had been overseeing overnight operations linked to the security of the Bentiu IDP camp amid concerns that the fighting could spill into the densely populated site, which was formerly a UN protection of civilians camp.

“He was coordinating the situation at the camp during the night because of the fear that fighting could spill inside,” one senior security source told Sudans Post.

A second security source said the former MSF field hospital was selected because it sits within the UNMISS security perimeter while remaining close to the IDP camp, which lies immediately to the east.

“He went directly to the former MSF hospital, which is inside the UNMISS perimeter,” the source said. “That is where he has been operating from as the fighting expanded around Rubkona.”

Clashes also affected the Joint Police force operating inside the camp, a unit formed in 2021 from SSPDF and SPLA-IO personnel after UNMISS handed over control of the site. Security sources said fighting between the two components led to the withdrawal of SPLA-IO elements from the camp late on Sunday.

The escalation in Unity State comes amid wider instability following the detention of opposition leader Riek Machar and the collapse of joint security arrangements under the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.

Unity State remains particularly vulnerable due to years of flooding that have confined much of the population to dyked areas around Bentiu and Rubkona, limiting civilian movement and complicating security responses.

UNMISS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.