In a statement dated July 18, Tut Makuei Reth Liep, chairman of the SPLM-IO Caucus in Uror County, said the demand was made on behalf of the Greater Lou Nuer Community, which he claimed stands with the leadership of SPLM/A-IO Acting Chairman and Commander-in-Chief Dr. Oyet Nathaniel Pierino.
The statement called on Jonglei State Governor Dr. Riek Gai Kok to “immediately withdraw” his administration from Uror, Nyirol and Akobo counties, warning that the administration should leave “before things fall apart.”
“The SPLM-IG administration cannot and will not continue to operate in Lou Nuer land while our civilians are being tortured,” the statement said. “We will not tolerate intentional aggression against our people.”
Tut accused the SSPDF and the SPLM-IG administration of committing serious violations against civilians in the three counties, including killings, rape, looting, destruction of homes, boreholes, markets and health facilities.
“Our people across Greater Lou Nuer have suffered enough at the hands of the SSPDF and the SPLM-IG,” the statement alleged. It claimed government forces had “burned homes, killed innocent elders, children and traders, raped and killed women, looted and raided livestock, damaged boreholes, destroyed the biggest hospitals built by humanitarians serving over 300,000 people, and destroyed our cultural heritage and markets.”
The statement further alleged that the government had designated Uror, Nyirol and Akobo as hostile areas and accused the SSPDF of carrying out a military campaign against the Lou Nuer community.
Sudans Post could not independently verify the allegations, and the SSPDF has not publicly responded to the specific claims contained in the statement.
Tut also appealed to members of the Lou Nuer community serving under the SPLM-IG and the SSPDF to defect and join the SPLM/A-IO under Oyet Nathaniel and the movement’s Chief of General Staff, Lt. Gen. John Both Teny.
“We are concerned for your lives and the future of your families. We are ready to forgive all of you. We know you have been misled and confused by those who have no concern for the future of the community,” the statement said.
The statement also launched a sharp attack on Governor Riek Gai Kok, accusing him of seeking to divide and harm the Lou Nuer community and urging him to abandon what it described as plans detrimental to the area. It further invoked the late Lou Nuer elder Luak Kok Diang Nyang, claiming he had warned the community against associating with the governor.
The statement comes amid heightened political and security tensions in Jonglei State, where clashes involving government forces, armed youth and opposition-aligned fighters have displaced thousands of civilians in recent months and disrupted humanitarian operations across parts of the Greater Upper Nile region.
The office of Jonglei State Governor Riek Gai Kok had not issued a public statement in response to the political demand at the time of publication.
