Four army soldiers killed, three wounded in Nasir attacks – SSPDF Spokesperson

JUBA – Four soldiers of South Sudan’s national army (SSPDF) were killed and three others wounded in a series of attacks on  their defensive position in Nasir County, Upper Nile State, an army spokesperson said. The SSPDF attributed the attacks to group allied to the opposition armed group SPLA-IO.

SSPDF spokesperson Major General Lul Ruai Koang said in a statement that armed local youth attacked three soldiers at 3:00 p.m. local time, killing one and pursuing the others. The same group later launched another attack just two hours after the first, followed by a third assault on Saturday at dawn. The attacks led to the deaths of four soldiers and the wounding of three others.

“On Valentine’s Day, at 3 p.m., three servicemen left their defensive trenches to collect firewood. About 600 meters away, they were attacked and pursued, resulting in the death of an officer,” Koang said in the statement. “A second daring attack was launched two hours later, followed by a third attack at dawn on February 15, 2025,” he added. Koang emphasized that all three attacks were unprovoked.

The spokesperson claimed that the Sudan People’s Liberation Army In Opposition (SPLA-IO), the military wing of the opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement In Opposition (SPLM-IO), led by First Vice President Riek Machar, had been inciting armed youth to target the army’s defensive positions.

“The recurring attacks on the SSPDF’s defensive position at Wei-Yar-Adiu are a direct result of SPLA-IO’s ongoing instigation of armed youth, aimed at maintaining a hostile and offensive posture that restricts the freedom of movement of our servicemen, both on and off duty,” Koang said.

He further stated that the situation had worsened due to the appointment of hostile SPLA-IO commissioners in Nasir County and an unfriendly governor in Upper Nile State.

As of press time, the SPLA-IO had not commented on the accusations.

The renewed violence marks a further escalation in tensions between the SPLA-IO and the SSPDF, who have also clashed in recent weeks in parts of Western Equatoria and Western Bahr el Ghazal states.

Both sides are currently implementing a 2018 peace agreement aimed at ending the civil war that began in 2013 in Juba and spread throughout the country.

Gen. Koang called on the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM), which investigates violations of the ceasefire, to hold the SPLA-IO accountable for the attacks.

“SSPDF urges CTSAMVM to investigate SPLA-IO’s latest violations of the peace agreement in Upper Nile, Western Equatoria, and Western Bahr el Ghazal states,” Koang concluded.