JUBA — South Sudan’s army and the country’s main armed opposition have given conflicting accounts of fighting in Wunkur, near the Sudanese border, with the opposition reporting the capture of a military barracks and government forces saying they repelled successive attacks.
In a statement seen by Sudans Post on Sunday, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) also accused Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of reinforcing government troops during the clashes.
“On 3 October 2026, at 0500 hours, the SPLA-IO National Mobile Force base at Paleny was attacked by combined forces of the SSPDF and Aguelek forces. The gallant SPLA-IO forces repulsed the attack and placed the genocidal regime forces on hot pursuit up to Wunkur,” the statement signed by the SPLA-IO acting spokesman Lt. Col. Chuol Puot Dual Diu reads.
The SPLA-IO said it repelled the assault, pursued the attackers towards Wunkur and captured the town at 5:15 a.m. the following day. The opposition officer also said RSF fighters arrived at about 7 a.m. to reinforce government and Agwelek militias, triggering further fighting.
According to the statement, the SPLA-IO killed 57 government and Agwelek fighters and seized 63 weapons. It reported losing eight soldiers, with another 10 wounded.
The opposition condemned the alleged RSF intervention and called on regional and international actors to take note of what it described as the Sudanese paramilitary group’s presence on South Sudanese territory.
“The SPLA-IO forces captured Wunkur barracks at 05:15 AM today, October 04,2026. At around 0700hours 00 AM, Rapid Support Forces (RSF) reinforced the SSPDF and Aguelek forces Who ran in disarray in three different directions,” the statement said.
Control of Wunkur remained unclear. The rival casualty figures and the allegation of RSF involvement have not been independently verified.
However, SSPDF spokesperson Major General Lul Ruai Koang said in a statement issued on Tuesday that government troops had repelled a series of opposition attacks on their position at Wunkur.
“SPLA-IO rebels, launched sequenced attacks on the national army’s position at Wunkur. All attacks were repelled, thirteen attackers eliminated, and one was captured,” the SSPDF spokesperson said in the statement seen by Sudans Post.
The army said it recovered a PKM machine gun, an RPG-7 grenade launcher and two assault rifles.
Koang said the captured opposition fighter was wounded and would be flown to Juba for specialised medical treatment before further investigation. The army did not disclose casualties among its own troops.
Wunkur lies in Ruweng Administrative Area along South Sudan’s border with Sudan’s South Kordofan state and has experienced repeated clashes between government and opposition forces.
The SPLA-IO captured Wunkur on April 19, 2026, following fighting with government-aligned forces. Ruweng authorities acknowledged the loss of the town, describing the army’s withdrawal as tactical, and said government troops recaptured it on April 20.
During that confrontation, the opposition said its National Mobile Forces fought alongside White Army fighters against government troops, Agwelek forces and armed youth from Parieng. It reported seizing two vehicles mounted with heavy machine guns, as well as weapons and ammunition.
Earlier clashes on Dec. 3, 2025, killed 12 soldiers, according to figures provided to Sudans Post by Ruweng’s information minister at the time.
He said nine opposition fighters and three government soldiers were killed, while four government soldiers were wounded, following an assault on an army position in Wunkur.
