Dozens of civilians massacred, officials killed in Ruweng attack

BENTIU – Armed youth from South Sudan’s Unity State attacked the neighboring Ruweng Administrative Area early Sunday, killing at least two senior local officials, nine soldiers, and dozens of civilians while setting markets and homes on fire, authorities said.

Local officials identified the attackers as “White Army” militia from Mayom County. The group struck Abiemnom County at around 4:29 a.m. local time. The assault lasted up to four hours, displacing residents and destroying property.

Videos geolocated to Awarpiny by Sudans Post showed large sections of the town and local shops actively burning. The local market in Abiemnom East County was burned to the ground, prompting appeals for emergency food assistance.

Ruweng Chief Administrator Stephano Wieu De Mialek condemned the attack as a coordinated act of rebellion. He confirmed the deaths of Awarpiny County Commissioner Paulino Wan and the Executive Director of Abiemnom East County, Mawien Majith.

“It is with a heavy heart that the government and people of the Ruweng Administrative Area announce that in this crisis and clash, they lost the County Commissioner for Awarpiny, Paulino Wan, along with the Executive Director of Abiemnom County, who courageously attempted to defend their positions but were targeted and eliminated indiscriminately,” De Mialek said in a recorded statement.

De Mialek accused the Mayom County militia of receiving facilitation from local authorities and support from elements of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO). He asked the national government in Juba to enforce a previously declared state of emergency in Mayom County.

“The government of the Ruweng Administrative Area condemns this barbaric act in the strongest terms and declares it an act of rebellion because the elements participating in it are White Army forces from Mayom County, facilitated by some authorities and supported by elements of the SPLA-IO. We call for accountability from the commissioner of Mayom. Based on our discussions over the past few days, it was evident that the county commissioner was fully aware of this coordinated attack,” he said.

James Monyliak Majok, Information Minister for the Ruweng Administrative Area, told Sudans Post in an interview separately that civilian casualty figures are expected to rise, saying reports are still being gathered as to the number of the people massacred.

“This morning, they made a surprise attack in Abiemnom County, where a commissioner of our county was killed, the executive director of Abiemnom East County was killed, and an unconfirmed number of civilians were also killed,” Majok said.

“The bodies are still being collected and taken to the area hospital. From there, when we know exactly how many people are killed, this is when we can get the actual figure,” the senior government official added.

Unity State authorities issued a statement on Sunday confirming that the threat against Abiemnom had been anticipated but strongly denied that Mayom County youth or a “White Army” were involved. Instead, Unity State blamed the attack on elements of the SPLA-IO.

Unity State Information Minister Nyakenya Johannes Keah said Governor Justice Riek Bim Top held a conference call on Saturday with Ruweng and Mayom leadership to coordinate defensive measures. Keah said troops from the 4^th Infantry Division engaged the attackers, with nine soldiers killed while “shielding the people they were sent to protect.”

Rejecting Ruweng’s accusations against the Mayom commissioner, Keah stated that the attackers were a coalition of armed groups.

“The perpetrators are combined IO elements, including the same IO forces that were chased from Ngol Garrison on 3^rd January 2026 and fled northward,” Keah said in the statement extended to Sudans Post.

She added that the group had merged with previously disarmed factions and obtained weapons from unauthorized individuals in Sudan before executing the assault. Keah maintained that “there is no known White Army operating in Mayom.”

Sunday’s violence follows a similar attack in April 2025, when armed youth from Mayom County temporarily took control of the Abiemnom County headquarters. That assault left at least 27 people dead, including a child and two women, and 17 others wounded.

The attackers also looted livestock before withdrawing from the town.

Ruweng authorities confirmed late Sunday that the attackers had withdrawn, though security forces remained on alert. The administration appealed to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to open humanitarian corridors and provide protection for civilians fleeing toward UN bases.