
JUBA – South Sudan’s army said on Wednesday its forces peacefully took Nasir and Ulang counties in Upper Nile State, which a local militia linked to the main armed opposition, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO), had captured in March.
Army spokesman Major General Lul Ruai Koang told Sudans Post in an exclusive interview in his office that community leaders in Ulang and Nasir facilitated the recapture of Nasir by the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) without violence.
Local sources had reported last week that the SSPDF entered the areas without fighting the White Army.
“I am not in denial that some leaders from greater Nassir, that is from Nasir County and Ulang leaders who are serving the government at national, state and county levels, members of the executive, traditional authority, members from the legislature, all played very important roles in minimizing, in persuading and influencing the number of the White Army,” Lul said.
The White Army, comprising armed Nuer civilians, had previously attacked an SSPDF army garrison, resulting in deaths soldiers and the area commander, before forcing the SSPDF brigade located in Nasir to flee or surrender.
Lul said the takeover of the counties by the army occurred without any casualties or shots fired, following a previous battle that allegedly killed over a hundred White Army members, prompting local leaders to seek a non-violent resolution.
He stated the army’s operation aimed to neutralize armed civilians posing a threat to the government and unarmed civilians.
“It is true that the White Army are civilians, but they are armed civilians that are very dangerous, so it is within our mandate to neutralize a hostile armed civilian,” Lul said.
He added that the conflict involved the national army against the SPLA-IO, supported by some armed civilians.
The army spokesperson said their mission against the White Army had concluded after their peaceful entry into Ulang and Nasir counties.
“At this stage, we have no reason to say it is continuing. We took Nassir without a single bullet being fired because of the attack at a place called Nyang in Ulang county,” he said.
Lul also dismissed accusations from SPLA-IO spokesperson Colonel Lam Paul Gabriel as “wrong information.”
He alleged that the Nasir incident was backed by SPLA-IO members who used armed civilians as a shield for their operations against the SSPDF.
“The White Army were mostly used as human shields by SPLA-IO, they were the ones that were in the offensive,” Lul said.
He also claimed that SPLA-IO forces operated most of the equipment used in the White Army’s attack on the SSPDF garrison.
“We know for sure that civilians do not know how to drive armored personnel carriers, they do not know how to do that, they do not know how to operate artillery,” he added.