JUBA — South Sudan’s main armed opposition group Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) said on Friday it had captured a strategic town on the main road to Bor following intense clashes with government forces in Jonglei State.
The development marks a significant escalation that could further destabilize the volatile region.
The town, Pajut, serves as the administrative capital of Pajut Payam in Duk County. It is located approximately 170 kilometres north of Bor, the capital of Jonglei State, along a vital corridor connecting the city to key areas such as Greater Akobo in northeastern Jonglei.
In a statement released today, the SPLA-IO said the engagement commenced at approximately 6:00AM local time. The opposition group stated its forces moved against advancing government troops that had been deployed from the national capital, Juba, and other states.
“This morning at about 0600, the SPLA-IO forces attacked the advancing SPLM-IG joint operation forces that were brought from Juba and other states to launch attacks against the SPLM/A-IO in greater Lou areas,” the statement said.
According to the statement signed by the group’s spokesman Lam Paul Gabriel, government forces had been utilizing Pajut as a staging ground while awaiting reinforcements before their positions were overrun.
“The joint SPLM-IG forces were stationed in Pajut awaiting reinforcements from Juba when they got outsmarted by Sector 3 forces,” it said.
Identifying Pajut as the government’s primary military installation within Jonglei State, the SPLA-IO reported that the confrontation resulted in significant casualties and equipment loss.
“Since this was the SPLM-IG biggest base in Jonglei State, the battle was heavy with serious damage to both human and material resources,” the statement said. The group added that its forces captured three tanks, a 12.7-mm heavy machine gun, and a multi-barrel rocket launcher.
The SPLA-IO further claimed that a major general, one of the commanding officers of the government’s joint forces, was killed in the fighting, alongside several other senior officers. These claims could not be independently verified, and the SSPDF spokesman Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In a separate development, the SPLA-IO announced that its forces had established a siege of Narus town following two days of sustained combat.
“In a separate incident, the SPLA-IO forces have sieged Narus town after a two day’s battle with the SPLM-IG forces,” the statement said.
The opposition group accused government soldiers of seeking cover within residential areas during the fighting.
“The SSPDF soldiers decided to hide in civilians residences, using them as human shields,” it said, while issuing a formal call for the government troops to surrender.
Multiple local sources in Gadiang, located near Bor, told Sudans Post that wounded government soldiers began arriving from the north following the clashes, a sight that triggered renewed panic among the local population.
“We saw wounded soldiers arriving from the northern road early in the morning,” said one resident, who spoke to Sudans Post on condition of anonymity due to security concerns. “People became afraid again.”
Bor had already witnessed an exodus of civilians in recent weeks as fears mounted that SPLA-IO territorial gains, especially in the Greater Akobo and Ayod, would bring the frontline closer to the state capital.
“Many families had already left earlier, but when the wounded soldiers arrived, more people decided to move,” the source said.
The SPLA-IO maintained that the clashes were a response to a build-up of SSPDF troops north of Pajut. It alleged that the government was preparing a campaign to recapture territories currently held by the opposition in the Greater Lou Nuer areas and Ayod County.
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