{"id":41882,"date":"2025-12-31T19:13:21","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T17:13:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/?p=41882"},"modified":"2025-12-31T19:13:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T17:13:21","slug":"vacate-sspdf-orders-civilians-out-of-military-bases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/31\/vacate-sspdf-orders-civilians-out-of-military-bases\/","title":{"rendered":"VACATE: SSPDF orders Civilians out of Military bases"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Alan Clement and Chol D Johnson<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The South Sudan People\u2019s Defence Forces (SSPDF) has ordered civilians to evacuate opposition-held areas in Jonglei State as clashes with SPLA-IO intensify.<\/p>\n

SSPDF spokesperson Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang announced Tuesday that residents in Nyirol, Uror, and Akobo counties must leave areas under the control of SPLA-IO forces.<\/p>\n

He warned civilians against remaining near opposition barracks, assembly points, or rally sites.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe SSPDF command\/leadership hereby orders civilians to immediately evacuate areas under the control of SPLA-IO,\u201d Ruai stated in a press release.<\/p>\n

\u201cEspecially those in close proximity to barracks, assembly and rally areas as well as resist deliberate efforts aimed at making them human shields,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

The directive comes amid renewed fighting in Jonglei, where SPLA-IO forces loyal to opposition leader Riek Machar alleged to have captured Waat town in Nyirol County earlier this week.<\/p>\n

In response, it was alleged that SSPDF launched bombardments in Lankien town, which opposition officials alleged to have killed civilians residing in SPLA-IO\u2013controlled territory.<\/p>\n

The clashes mark a sharp escalation in hostilities between government and opposition forces, threatening fragile stability in Jonglei.<\/p>\n

Fighting has spread across multiple counties, with both sides trading accusations of ceasefire violations.<\/p>\n

Military analysts note that the evacuation order reflects SSPDF\u2019s concern over civilian casualties as operations intensify.<\/p>\n

However, rights groups argue that such directives often leave communities displaced and vulnerable, compounding humanitarian crises in already fragile regions.<\/p>\n

Jonglei is among South Sudan\u2019s most conflict-affected states, with communities facing food insecurity, flooding, and displacement.<\/p>\n

According to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), over 1,500 civilians were killed in conflict-related violence in 2024, while thousands more were displaced.<\/p>\n

Humanitarian organizations warn that forced evacuations could worsen conditions for civilians, many of whom lack safe passage or access to aid.<\/p>\n

Relief agencies already struggle to reach populations in contested areas due to insecurity and restrictions on movement.<\/p>\n

The renewed clashes highlight ongoing strains in the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), signed in 2018 to end years of civil war.<\/p>\n

Both SSPDF and SPLA-IO have been accused of breaching ceasefire provisions, undermining trust in the peace process.<\/p>\n

Earlier in the week, SPLA-IO officials in Jonglei warned of a possible advance toward Yuai, the headquarters of Uror County, where SSPDF forces have been stationed since before the signing of the peace deal.<\/p>\n

Northern Jonglei has seen a sharp rise in hostilities in recent weeks.<\/p>\n

Civil society leaders have condemned the evacuation order as a dangerous precedent.<\/p>\n

Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), described the directive as \u201cworrying and deeply disturbing,\u201d saying it signals a renewed military approach to resolving political disputes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is sad that the safety and protection of civilians in some parts of the country is no priority of the warring parties because they opted for a military approach to resolving political disputes,\u201d Yakani said.<\/p>\n

He called on both the SSPDF and SPLA-IO to halt hostilities and embrace dialogue, involving citizens, national stakeholders, and regional bodies such as IGAD, the African Union, and the United Nations.<\/p>\n

Residents in Jonglei now face a stark choice: remain in contested areas at risk of bombardment, or flee into displacement with uncertain access to food and shelter.<\/p>\n

For many, the evacuation order is less a protection measure than a forced uprooting. As SSPDF and SPLA-IO forces continue to battle for control of strategic towns, civilians remain trapped between warring factions.<\/p>\n

The directive to evacuate may minimize collateral damage in theory, but in practice, it deepens the humanitarian crisis and exposes the fragility of South Sudan\u2019s peace.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Alan Clement and Chol D Johnson The South Sudan People\u2019s Defence Forces (SSPDF) has ordered civilians to evacuate opposition-held areas in Jonglei State as clashes with SPLA-IO intensify. SSPDF spokesperson Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang announced Tuesday that residents in Nyirol, Uror, and Akobo counties must leave areas under[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":41883,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[116,79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-jonglei-state","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/vacte.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41882","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41882"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41882\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41884,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41882\/revisions\/41884"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}