JUBA – Fresh fighting has reportedly erupted between members of the VIP Protection Unit—aligned with the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO)—and the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) in Kaikang in Mayom County of South Sudan’s Unity State.
The incident, which happened on Wednesday, comes barely a week after a similar confrontation was reported in the Abyei Administrative Area between the same units, raising concerns about renewed friction within the security sector at a time when the peace implementation remains fragile.
According to Kerbino Yai Pazale, the SPLA-IO Sector Two Spokesperson in Unity State, the latest fighting began when a group of SPLA-IO soldiers travelling from the Abyei Administrative Area came under attack by SSPDF troops while resting under trees in Kaikang village, located north of Mayom.
“The VIP Protection Forces were on their way to join us at our base in Tong,” Pazale told Sudans Post in a phone interview on Thursday morning. “They were attacked by SSPDF soldiers in Kaikang while taking a break. Fortunately, no casualties or deaths have been reported, but tension remains very high along the road between Mayom and Rubkona counties.”
He said the confrontation occurred at around 10 a.m. and lasted for several minutes before both sides disengaged. Pazale added that the VIP Protection Unit had been serving under the SSPDF for nearly five years as part of the unified command structure created by the 2018 revitalized peace deal, but was now in the process of returning to the SPLA-IO ranks.
“The VIP Protection Force will rejoin us again after five years of duty under the SSPDF,” he explained. “However, if the SSPDF continues to attack the unified protection forces, we will be forced to defend ourselves.”
When contacted for comment, Unity State’s Minister of Information, Gatwech Bipal Bol, dismissed reports of clashes between the two organized forces. He described the situation as a “minor misunderstanding” among local armed youth in the area, not a confrontation involving the military.
“There was no fighting yesterday in Kaikang,” Bipal said. “What happened was simply a misunderstanding between some armed youth within the community, not between the SSPDF and the SPLA-IO.”
Despite the government’s denial, sources in Mayom County said security remains tense along the Mayom–Rubkona road, with sporadic gunfire reported late Wednesday evening.
Residents fear that if not quickly addressed, the latest standoff could further strain relations between the SSPDF and the SPLA-IO components of the unified forces—key pillars of South Sudan’s transitional security arrangement.
