South Sudan’s main armed opposition group has accused government forces of ordering civilians and humanitarian agencies to vacate parts of Jonglei State after senior military commanders issued what it described as calls to target civilians, raising fears of mass human rights abuses.
Over the weekend, Gen. Johnson Olony, the assistant chief of defence forces for mobilisation and disarmament and commander of the Agwelek militia, while rallying his troops in Jonglei State’s Duk County, ordered them not to spare any lives, including those of the elderly and chicken, and raze all houses. ON Sunday, SSPDF Spokesman Major General Lul Ruai Koang reiterated that the army ordered civilians in the Lou Nuer counties of Nyirol, Uror, and Akobo to “evacuate for safety to government-controlled areas within 48 hours.”
The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO) said the directive to vacate by the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) followed inflammatory remarks by a senior army commander urging troops to “spare no one” during military operations in the region.
Puok Both Baluang, SPLM-IO Director of Information and Public Relations, and Acting Press Secretary, accused government-aligned forces of pursuing what he described as an ethnically driven campaign, saying public orders to attack civilians amounted to a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
“The call made by the SSPDF for civilians and NGOs to leave represents a desperate attempt to salvage the image of the regime after blatant incitement to violence against civilians,” he stated. “These orders reveal a coordinated strategy that risks targeting civilians based on ethnic identity.”
“We have a moral duty to protect civilians in the greater Jonglei areas and across South Sudan,” Both added.
Last week, the SSPDF ordered civilians, humanitarian organisations, and UN personnel to leave opposition-controlled areas in Jonglei ahead of military operations, saying the move was necessary for civilian safety.
Civil society groups and humanitarian officials warn the order could have the opposite effect.
Peter Ajak, a South Sudanese civil society activist from Jonglei’s Bor County, said the evacuation risks stripping civilians of critical protection in an already volatile environment.
“The presence of aid agencies and UN personnel often acts as a deterrent to violence and human rights abuses,” Ajak said. “Their withdrawal may create a protection vacuum, increasing the risk of killing, sexual violence, forced recruitment, looting, and arbitrary arrests.”
He warned that vulnerable groups would be hardest hit.
“If humanitarian and UN workers leave, civilians risk losing access to life-saving assistance such as food, healthcare, clean water, and shelter,” he stated. “Women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities will be most affected.”
For his part, Nhial Nyuot, the Relief Rehabilitation Coordinator in Akobo County, said aid operations are already being disrupted despite there being no active fighting in the area.
“As of now, there is no situation in Akobo that prevents humanitarian work,” he explained. “But because the order came from Juba, agencies are evacuating international staff and national staff from other states.”
He said Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and UN personnel had already begun leaving, even as thousands of displaced people arrive from neighbouring counties affected by violence.
“More than 1,600 displaced people have already come to Akobo from Uror and Lankien,” Nyuot said. “If humanitarian assistance stops, hunger will increase, and people will be forced to flee to Ethiopia.”
He warned that hospitals in Akobo depend almost entirely on humanitarian support.
“It is not the government that provides medicines or pays health workers. If humanitarians leave, hospitals will close,” he warned, adding: “People are afraid, but this is their home, and there is no fighting here. Civilians fear that even if they stay, they could be attacked by armed groups from either side.”
According to Both Baluang, the SPLM/A-IO has assured aid agencies that they can continue operating in areas under its control.
“These humanitarian agencies are vital in delivering assistance to civilians and medical care to the wounded,” he said.
South Sudan has remained unstable despite the 2018 peace agreement that ended a five-year civil war. Sporadic fighting, political tensions, and economic collapse continue to fuel displacement and humanitarian need across the country.