In a statement issued on Saturday, March 21, SPLM-IO spokesperson Pal Mai Deng dismissed calls by the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) urging displaced residents and aid groups to resume operations in the conflict-affected county.
“Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai’s call on humanitarian agencies to return to Akobo… is more of a psychological engagement than a sincere call,” Pal said, adding that “at the moment Akobo is a battleground and war zone.”
He went further to accuse government forces of committing grave abuses against civilians, alleging that Akobo has been turned into “a gang-raping field and slaughterhouse of innocent civilians”—claims that could not be independently verified.
The opposition group cautioned humanitarian actors and residents against heeding the government’s appeal. “We… advise humanitarian agencies and civilians not to listen to Maj. Gen. Lul’s call,” Pal said, insisting that only the SPLM-IO could guarantee safe conditions for return.
The statement also warned local government officials in Akobo against moving between areas controlled by rival forces, signaling continued tensions and fragmented control on the ground.
The remarks come a day after SSPDF spokesperson Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang announced that government forces had “re-established firm control in Akobo and the surrounding areas” following recent military operations.
“With the prevailing conducive environment already in place… all civilians are, once again, requested to return home to rebuild their lives,” Lul said in a statement issued on March 20.
However, recent humanitarian reports paint a far more dire picture of the situation.
Earlier this month, UNICEF said an evacuation order issued by SSPDF on March 6 forced an estimated 100,000 people to flee Akobo into neighbouring Ethiopia within 72 hours, effectively emptying the town and halting essential humanitarian services.
Accounts from aid agencies describe a chaotic and traumatic exodus. In a report published last week, Save the Children documented harrowing scenes, including “children having to sit next to their dead parents” and a woman giving birth in a canoe while fleeing violence.
The humanitarian accounts sharply contradict government assertions of a “conducive environment” for returns, highlighting ongoing insecurity and uncertainty in the area.
Akobo has become a focal point of escalating tensions between government forces and opposition fighters in recent weeks, raising fears that premature returns could expose civilians and aid workers to renewed violence.
