South Sudanese civil society groups have warned that up to 50,000 civilians could be affected if the government proceeds with a planned military offensive on Akobo in Jonglei State, urging authorities to halt the operation and pursue dialogue.
The warning follows an order by the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) instructing civilians, aid agencies, and opposition fighters to leave Akobo County within 72 hours ahead of an anticipated assault.
Military officials said the operation is part of an expanded campaign against fighters linked to the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO), whom they accuse of using the area as a base for operations in the greater Lou Nuer region.
Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang said the directive was issued by Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Paul Nang Majok.
“All UN agencies, NGOs, and their staff are hereby ordered to leave within the same window of opportunity,” Koang told journalists.
He also urged civilians in Akobo Town and nearby villages to relocate to safer areas or places under government control to avoid being caught in the fighting.
The planned assault forms part of what the army describes as the second phase of “Operation Enduring Peace,” a military campaign launched after renewed clashes with opposition forces in northern Jonglei.
According to Gen. Ruai, the SSPDF has already retaken several areas that fell to opposition fighters during fighting in December and early January.
“We are done with capturing and recapturing bases that we had lost in December and early January,” he said.
He listed Pieri, Motot, Walgak, Padoi, Bong, and Laken as locations now back under government control, adding that Akobo remains the last major opposition stronghold in the eastern region.
But civil society organisations warn that renewed fighting could worsen the humanitarian situation of civilians who have already been displaced by previous clashes across Jonglei State.
“Roughly 50,000 civilians will be affected in Akobo if this operation continues as planned,” said Bol Deng Bol, executive director of Intrepid South Sudan and chairperson of the Jonglei Civil Society Network.
Deng said many residents could be forced to flee to neighbouring counties or cross the border into Ethiopia, raising fears of a new displacement crisis.
“People are already vulnerable. Many are sick, hungry, and physically weak,” he said. “Forcing this kind of suffering again on civilians who are trying to recover is very hard.”
Civil society groups also expressed concern over the order requiring humanitarian organisations to leave the area, warning it could disrupt critical aid services for communities already facing food insecurity and limited access to health care.
They say renewed fighting could undermine the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan, the peace deal that formally ended the country’s five-year civil war.
Civil society leaders accused both government and opposition forces of weakening the ceasefire provisions of the agreement through continued military confrontations.
Deng also warned that escalation in Akobo — a remote town near the Ethiopian border — could create cross-border tensions if civilians flee into neighbouring Ethiopia.
Jonglei State remains one of South Sudan’s most volatile regions, frequently affected by cycles of armed conflict, communal violence, and displacement.
The civil society groups say dialogue between the parties remains the only viable path to preventing further escalation and protecting civilians.