An uneasy calm is said to have returned to Maiwut County in Upper Nile State after clashes involving South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and forces of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) in parts of the county early this week.
Gen. Lul Ruai Koang, the SSPDF spokesperson, speaking to Radio Tamazuj Wednesday, claimed that at least 10 soldiers were killed and several others injured from both sides in the clashes in Maiwut’s Tru and Jekou areas on Sunday. He also said that calm returned in Maiwut after their forces withdrew on Monday.
“Sunday’s clashes were triggered by the killing of one of our (SSPDF) officers by SPLA-IO forces in Tru. Our forces were fighting off the assailants of their slain colleague until they reached Jekou,” Gen. Lul said. “The Chief of the Defense Forces, Gen. Santino Wol, directed our commanders there to withdraw immediately, which they did. Now, Jekou is under SPLA-IO control.”
The SSPDF mouthpiece said their forces will remain in their bases to implement the security arrangements under the 2018 peace deal and called on residents to remain calm, saying Sunday’s clashes were isolated.
Both the Upper Nile State police commissioner, Gen. Chol Atem Jongeth, and Luk Sadhalla Deng, the state information minister, also said that Maiwut was now calm after the clashes.
Attempts to reach the SPLA-IO spokesperson, Col. Lam Paul Gabriel, were futile as his phone went unanswered.
On Tuesday, the SPLM-IO Political Bureau, the highest decision-making organ of the opposition outfit, announced that it was suspending its participation in the security mechanisms over repeated attacks by SSPDF.