BREAKING | Heavy fighting breaks out between SPLA-IO factions in Machar’s home area

LEER – Heavy fighting erupted on Tuesday evening between rival factions of South Sudan’s main armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) at Adok Port in Leer County of Unity State, the home area of opposition leader Riek Machar, multiple sources told Sudans Post.

The clashes began at around 8:30 p.m. local time at Adok Port, approximately 20 kilometres southeast of Leer town, according to the sources. Residents in Leer town reported hearing heavy gunfire from the direction of the fighting, although the extent of the clashes and any casualties could not immediately be established.

Leer County is the home area of Machar, the SPLA-IO’s longtime leader and South Sudan’s suspended first vice president. The fighting comes amid deepening divisions within the opposition movement, which has faced internal leadership disputes and military fragmentation. It was not immediately clear which factions were involved or what triggered the confrontation.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.