In a joint press statement issued on Saturday, the civil society groups warned that previous fighting between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition in northern Jonglei has already led to severe humanitarian consequences

By Riak Chok

A coalition of civil society networks across South Sudan has appealed to President Salva Kiir Mayardit to urgently intervene and halt a planned military operation in Akobo County, Jonglei State, warning that the move could worsen civilian suffering and undermine peace efforts.

In a joint press statement issued on Saturday, the civil society groups said they had learned of plans to extend ongoing military operations—previously carried out in Uror County, Ayod County, Nyirol County, and Duk County—to Akobo.

According to the statement, the Office of the Chief of Defense Forces reportedly ordered the closure of a facility belonging to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan and directed the mandatory relocation of civilians from Akobo Town and surrounding areas.

The civil society groups said they were alarmed by the order, arguing that expanding military operations could expose civilians to serious harm.

“We are alarmed by these orders as much as the civilians residing in the targeted locations,” the groups said. “These military hostilities violate the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan and risk causing trauma, displacement, killings and injuries among civilians.”

They warned that previous fighting between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition in northern Jonglei has already led to severe humanitarian consequences, including the displacement of communities and the recruitment of civilians into armed groups.

The civil society networks stressed that children, women and the elderly are often the most affected by such violence and cautioned that continued military action could deepen community divisions along tribal lines.

The groups called on President Kiir to suspend the order issued by the Chief of Defense Forces and instead promote political dialogue between the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition in line with the peace agreement.

“Urgently intervening to put the order on hold will open a chapter of political dialogue to amicably address the differences between the parties,” the statement said.

They added that halting the operation would save lives and allow humanitarian organizations and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan to continue providing essential assistance to communities in need.

The statement was issued jointly by civil society networks representing South Sudan’s ten states and three administrative areas, calling for peaceful solutions to the ongoing tensions in Jonglei.

Race to evacuate ahead of deadline

Meanwhile, just a day after the civil society groups’ plea, sources reported a massive exodus of locals from Akobo, a town located near the Ethiopian border.

“The town is now almost empty. Women, children and the elderly have left and crossed into Ethiopia.” By Sunday evening, he could hear the conflict closing in. “We are hearing the sound of machine guns approaching,” Nhial Lew, a local humanitarian official, told the Associated Press news agency.

The army’s deadline was set to expire this (Monday afternoon). The order is part of government counteroffensive, launched in January and dubbed Operation Enduring Peace. So far, more than 280,000 people have been displaced across Jonglei state since December.

Akobo, which had been considered a relatively safe haven and sheltered more than 82,000 displaced people, is one of the last remaining strongholds of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition, or SPLM-IO, the armed movement loyal to South Sudan’s detained former vice president, Riek Machar.