On July 9, 2025, South Sudan marked its 14th anniversary of independence from Sudan, a milestone meant to symbolise unity and hope. In the capital, Juba, celebrations echoed with speeches calling for peace, led by President Salva Kiir.
However, in Upper Nile State, the day was overshadowed by fear and violence as government forces launched aerial bombardments targeting SPLA-IO bases in Nasir, Ulang, Longechuk, and Fangak counties.
Nasir County Commissioner Gatluak Lew Thiep, representing the SPLM-IO, condemned the government’s actions, highlighting the irony of the Independence Day celebrations.
“It is excruciating when civilians who fought for this country’s independence are hunted and bombarded today, July 9, 2025, while leaders speak of peace,” Thiep said, noting that airstrikes targeted civilian areas in Longechuk County on Independence Day and Nasir County the previous day, July 8.
The commissioner poignantly described the bloodshed as a grim substitute for the “goats, sheep, and chickens” meant for celebratory feasts, underscoring the loss of innocent lives, including women and children.
Nasir, a historic stronghold of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and its military wing, played a pivotal role in the fight for independence.
Ding Gatluak Lual, a pastor and Chairperson of the Nuer Christian Mission Network for Peace and Development, emphasised that “Nasir was the cradle of the SPLM/A, feeding and supporting liberators from 1983 to 1985 without demanding payment.”
Mr. Lual recalled the region’s hospitality, which welcomed American missionaries as early as 1912 and contributed to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) through evangelical efforts.
“Why, then, are we shedding blood, burning buildings, and displacing schoolchildren, women, and the elderly—survivors of a 21-year civil war—in the name of fighting rebels?” Lual asked.
The airstrikes in Upper Nile are part of an escalation that began in March 2025, with clashes between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and the community-affiliated White Army, loosely tied to the SPLM-IO.
On March 4, the White Army overran an SSPDF base in Nasir, prompting retaliatory aerial bombardments that have continued sporadically.
On July 6 and 8, government forces bombed Mandeng, the SPLM-IO’s administrative headquarters in Nasir County, leaving civilians in fear.
Residents have linked the attacks to the presence of Commissioner Thiep, urging him to relocate his operations to Ethiopian territory to spare Mandeng’s population further suffering.
“We call on Hon. Gatluak Lew Thiep to vacate Mandeng as his headquarters and move to Ethiopia to coordinate his activities, ensuring the safety of our beloved population,” a group of Nasir residents pleaded.
Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, the exiled First Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Acting Chairman of SPLM-IO, accused the government of undermining national unity.
“Escalating bombardments on Independence Day are not just warfare; they send a political message to the victims,” Pierino stated.
“You cannot be governing in the interest of some and denying others. A government that is not sensitive to the needs and diversity of South Sudan is illegitimate, imposing itself on the masses,” Oyet added.
He further criticised the government for losing over $40 billion since 2005 without tangible development, leaving South Sudan’s economy in tatters.
The Upper Nile region, particularly Nasir, Ulang, Longechuk, and Fangak, has borne the brunt of the recent violence. On May 3, a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) hospital in Old Fangak, Jonglei State, was bombed, killing seven and destroying the last functioning medical facility in the area.
MSF condemned the attack as a “deliberate bombing” and a violation of international humanitarian law.
The apparent involvement of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and their reported participation in airstrikes in Upper Nile, a move criticised by the SPLM-IO as violating the UN arms embargo, complicated the conflict.
Mr. Thiep, commessioner of Nasir county, I would like to inform you in your esteemed office that, this war a war between Dikas against Nuers, and don not forget that. Dinkas Idiotic leaders had been planned this war for long time when regain gobernmental power to use it against Nuers and other tribes in South Sudan, and don not forget that. As the Naath, let us talk about of how we get resources to face Dinkas and thier malitias. Thanks