ABYEI – Fresh fighting has erupted among members of South Sudan’s Unified Forces involving sections of the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) in the disputed Abyei Administrative Area.
SSPDF Spokesperson Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang confirmed the confrontation in a statement posted on his Facebook page, revealing that the clashes broke out among the Unified VIP Protection Forces deployed outside the Abyei Box.
“Armed confrontations have erupted between the Unified VIP Protection Force deployed outside of Abyei Box,” Ruai stated, adding that further details would be shared after the SSPDF component concludes its mop-up operations.
Similarly, SPLA-IO Spokesperson Col. Lam Paul Gabriel confirmed the incident, saying the clashes between the two components of the Unified Forces were still ongoing at the time of his statement. “Clashes erupted in Abyei between the SPLA-IO component of the Unified VIP Protection Force and the SSPDF. Details will follow later as clashes are still ongoing,” he wrote.
The renewed violence in Abyei comes amid escalating tension in other parts of the country. On Monday, fresh fighting also broke out in Nagero County, Western Equatoria State, between the SSPDF and SPLA-IO forces, forcing hundreds of civilians to flee.
According to the county’s Executive Director, Bernard Gabriel Amin, the attacks began early Monday morning as SPLA-IO forces allegedly advanced from Miaba. “People have been hiding in the bush for over a week due to previous attacks. They have no access to food, shelter, clean water, or medical care,” Amin told Sudans Post.
He explained that the warring forces are not stationed in the same location, complicating efforts by local authorities to contain the violence.
The resurgence of fighting underscores the fragility of the 2018 peace agreement that led to the formation of the Transitional Government of National Unity and the integration of rival forces into a unified national army.
Tensions have grown since March when the government placed opposition leader Dr Riek Machar under house arrest and later charged him with crimes against humanity—moves that have deepened political mistrust and triggered renewed fighting among his loyalists and government forces.
South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, has endured years of instability and intermittent fighting since its independence in 2011, including a devastating civil war that killed an estimated 400,000 people between 2013 and 2018.
