South Sudanese rebel commander killed during infighting in West Kordofan

BENTIU – A senior South Sudanese rebel commander fighting alongside Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) was killed on Saturday in the town of Mujlad, West Kordofan, during internal clashes among his own forces, according to multiple rebel soldiers and senior officials.

Major General Kuol Wichar Ruazel, commander of “Zone Two” in the South Sudan People’s Movement/Army (SSPM/A), was fatally shot while attempting to defuse a violent dispute triggered by the detention of a fellow fighter. He was in his early 50s.

According to one soldier, General Kuol’s bodyguard was also killed, and at least five others were wounded.

“It was on Saturday when fighting broke out in Mujlad. The fighting started because there was someone who was arrested for disciplinary actions, and some of his colleagues came and tried to release him by force. That is the reason why the fighting broke out between them,” one South Sudanese RSF-aligned fighter told Sudans Post.

“As the fighting broke out, Maj. Gen. Kuol Wichar rushed to the place and tried to calm the situation down. In the process, he was shot and died instantly. His bodyguard was also shot and died instantly. There are between five to seven people who have also been wounded, and they are in very critical condition,” the source added.

When contacted by Sudans Post, high-ranking SSPM/A commander Gen. John Nukta Makuei confirmed the killing and said the situation was now contained.

“There is nothing to worry about, and we send this message to the people of South Sudan that the situation is now under control. It was a misunderstanding, and while I can confirm the killing, I can also report that those behind the shootout have been arrested and are currently in detention for questioning,” he said.

The slained opposition commandfer hails from Mayom County of South Sudan’s Unity State, and is a close relative of Gai Machiek Ruazel, the Warrap-based Bul-Nuer influentiall religious leader.

The SSPM/A is a South Sudanese rebel group formed in 2021 and led by former army commander General Stephen Buay Rolnyang. It has been based in Sudan, South Sudan’s northern neighbor, since its establishment.

Following the outbreak of the Sudanese conflict in April 2023, the group aligned itself with the RSF in its war against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). After the collapse of RSF positions in central Sudan earlier this year, most South Sudanese mercenaries retreated to RSF-controlled border areas.

The Mujlad incident is the most serious case of internal violence reported within the SSPM/A since the Sudan conflict began. While the group has expanded its footprint in southern Sudan and northern Unity State, it has faced growing difficulties in maintaining cohesion among its fighters—many of whom were recruited across the border in South Sudan.

The group’s recruitment drive in Unity State led to the arrest of one of its top commanders, Major General Jibril Tap Gatjiekk, who was detained by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO) last year while attempting to enter South Sudan to mobilize new fighters.

Armed activity along the Sudan–South Sudan border has raised concerns of spillover violence and foreign mercenary involvement. The Mujlad infighting underscores the fragile command structures of RSF-aligned foreign units and the risks posed by undisciplined and fragmented auxiliary forces operating in conflict zones.

While the RSF has relied on external armed groups to reinforce its presence in the Sudanese conflict, the lack of centralized command and ideological alignment among such units poses a potential liability to the paramilitary’s broader war effort.