The South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) has accused First Vice President Riek Machar of obstructing efforts to evacuate soldiers displaced during recent clashes in Nasir County, Upper Nile State.
Fighting erupted last week in the town of Nasir, after the White Army — a loosely organized armed group from the Nuer ethnic community — seized a military barracks, scattering government troops.
The SSPDF and President Salva Kiir’s administration have alleged the militia is linked to Machar’s Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO).
Tensions escalated last Friday when a United Nations helicopter evacuating SSPDF soldiers came under fire, killing an army commander, a U.N. crew member, and others. The violence follows the arrest earlier in the week of a deputy army chief and a minister allied with Machar, which his party denounced as a “grave violation” of the 2018 peace deal that ended a five-year civil war.
At a press conference Monday in Bilpham, SSPDF Lt. Gen. James Koang Chuol, the assistant chief of defense forces for training, confirmed that 70 displaced troops had sought refuge under civilian protection in Ulang County, Upper Nile State.
“We have a plan to bring back those who have been scattered,” Gen. Koang said, thanking locals in Ulang and Nasir for sheltering soldiers. He declined to disclose casualty figures.
Meanwhile, SSPDF spokesperson Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang claimed Machar personally intervened to block plans to relocate soldiers who fled to Akobo County in Jonglei State. He said Machar ordered SPLM-IO forces to deploy near where the troops were sheltered and attempted to move them to an SPLA-IO base in Walgak, but civilians refused, fearing for the soldiers’ safety.
“We reached an agreement with local authorities in Akobo County to escort the soldiers, but the process was halted after Dr. Riek [Machar] personally intervened,” Maj. Gen. Lul said.
He added: “Dr. Machar directed Maj. Gen. James Utong Liah, commander of the SPLA-IO’s Division 8, to deploy forces to the area where our troops were sheltered, ordering their forcible relocation to the opposition base in Walgak. The civilians refused to comply.”
SPLA-IO Spokesperson Col. Lam Paul Gabriel could not immediately be reached for comment.