South Sudan rebel faction accuses SSPDF of attack

JUBA – A South Sudan rebel faction led by General Dickson Gatluak Jock Nyuot on Monday called on the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) to release five of its officers captured in clashes last Friday in Unity State.

In a statement to Sudans Post on Monday, the South Sudan United Front – Nairobi Declaration (SSUF-ND), led by Gatluak, said its base in Pan Akuach, Unity State, was attacked by troops from the SSPDF’s 4th Infantry Division, commanded by General Matthew Puljang Top.

The statement described “fierce” fighting that erupted at around 5:40 a.m. on Friday, leading to the capture of five SSUF-ND infantrymen. The group is demanding their immediate release.

“We call upon mercenary Gen. Mathew Puljang to immediately release the five soldiers, captured unhurt, and we urge the Kiir government to adhere to the cessation of hostilities agreement until we achieve peace,” said Moses Wawich Thok, SSUF-ND’s spokesman.

Thok condemned what he referred to as a “surprise attack” by the SSPDF under General Puljang Top on their position in Panakuach.

“On Friday, November 8, SSPDF soldiers launched a secret operation against our forces, the South Sudan United Army (SSUA), in the northern part of Bentiu, resulting in the capture of five infantrymen,” the statement read.

“Our servicemen have been stationed there since we withdrew from the ‘Home-grown Peace Initiative’ with Salva Kiir on August 21, 2024, and there has been no intention to engage in combat with Kiir’s government,” it continued.

Thok also reported that the faction’s base in the Western Upper Nile Division’s reconnaissance unit was ambushed and seized by SSPDF forces.

“On Saturday, November 9, at 12:00 p.m., they were taken to Bar, the 4th Division headquarters in Bentiu, where they were detained in a military facility,” he added.

The SSUF-ND was established on January 28, 2023, in Nairobi, Kenya, following an attempt to oust prominent rebel leader Paul Malong Awan. The group is a breakaway faction from Malong’s South Sudan United Front/Army (SSUF/A).

More than ten former members of Malong’s SSUF/A from the Upper Nile, Bahr El Ghazal, and Equatoria regions have since signed a declaration as members of the SSUF/A Nairobi Declaration.