VIDEO | Army convoy leaves Juba for Jonglei offensive

JUBA – A video circulating online showing a convoy of South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) troops and heavy armour leaving Juba has been verified by Sudans Post, confirming reports of a significant military buildup in Jonglei State that sources say signals an imminent offensive.

The geolocated footage, which surfaced today, captures flatbed trucks carrying soldiers as well as armoured vehicles and soldiers moving northbound across the Juba Freedom Bridge.

The visual evidence corroborates witness accounts and security reports of a large-scale deployment to Bor, the capital of Jonglei State, following the capture of strategic rural outposts and towns by opposition forces from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO).

VISUAL VERIFICATION

Sudans Post geolocated the footage to the southern approach of the Juba Freedom Bridge (coordinates 4°49’16.08″N 31°36’34.41″E). By cross-referencing distinct vegetation patterns—specifically a unique cluster of palm trees—and fixed roadside structures with satellite imagery, the location was positively identified as the main arterial route leading south, then east from the capital.

In the video, a narrator speaking in Jieng (Dinka) describes the deploying soldiers as “weak forces” being sent to “escape the frontline.”

“They are taking these weak forces (soldiers) to Bor, and they will go and escape from the frontline,” the cameraman filming said.

While the narrator’s commentary reflects a specific viewpoint that cannot be independently verified, the direction and composition of the convoy align with witness reports from the Gumbo Shirkat neighbourhood on Juba’s outskirts.

Residents there described “unusual” military traffic moving north late Saturday night.

TROOP SURGE IN JONGLEI

The verification of the convoy comes as South Sudan’s army chief, Gen. Paul Nang, arrived unannounced in Bor on Tuesday.

Security sources told Sudans Post that the military is surging reinforcements to the area for a dual purpose: to bolster defenses around Bor and to stage an “imminent offensive” into opposition-controlled territories in northeastern Jonglei, specifically targeting Akobo County.

The mobilization follows a deterioration in the security landscape after SPLA-IO forces captured Pajut, a strategic town in Duk County last week, and Panyume in Central Equatoria last yesterday.

The fall of Pajut has raised alarms in Juba that rebels could utilize the position to push south toward the state capital.

While one security source insisted the deployment was “primarily defensive” to stabilize Bor, others confirmed that specialized units are being assembled for offensive operations.

POLITICAL ISOLATION

The escalation occurs against a backdrop of widening political fissures following the arrest and suspension of First Vice President Riek Machar in March 2025.

However, analysts warn that President Salva Kiir faces a new internal threat which they described as a “politics of silence” within his own power base.

Prominent anthropologist Jok Madut Jok warned on Sunday that widespread discontent has created a “circle of isolation” around the administration.

Speaking to South Sudanese podcaster Kuir E Garang, Jok argued that communities in the President’s traditional strongholds of Bahr el Ghazal, including Warrap and Lakes states, have mentally disengaged from the government.

Jok noted that resentment over the concentration of power and corruption has fostered a sentiment where communities may refuse to mobilize for the regime, viewing the conflict as a problem for the President’s home village to solve.

“There is an impending disaster, and people are saying, ‘Let them deal with it,’” Jok said.