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BENTIU — Multiple sources have reported to Sudans Post that thousands of armed youth from Mayom, Mayendit, and Koch counties in Unity State are allegedly mobilizing to attack villages in Rubkona County.
One anonymous source with firsthand knowledge claimed that Governor Joseph Nguen Manytuil ordered the mobilization following clashes with the main armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) on Monday.
“Right now, young people are mobilizing in Mayendit County. We’ve been told the same is happening in Koch and Mayom counties,” a youth source stated.
A senior local government official in Koch separately informed the Sudans Post that while the county commissioner, Koang Biel, refused the governor’s request to mobilize youth for the army, some are mobilizing independently.
“The governor demanded reinforcements and ordered Commissioner Koang Biel to mobilize the youth, but he refused,” the official said. “However, there are some people mobilizing under orders from others associated with the governor, and this shouldn’t be seen as something the commissioner is implementing.”
A youth leader in Mayom, who also wished to remain anonymous, confirmed the mobilization and their intention to find and confront the SPLA-IO in Rubkona County.
“We’re preparing, and we’ll make sure to find them wherever they are. Nguen is our son, and anyone who thinks they can harm him and get away with it is wrong,” the leader declared.
Mayom County Commissioner Luka Chierey refuted the claims of youth mobilization for an attack, attributing the rumors to routine military movements not involving his county’s people or government.
“Currently, there are military movements, and this might be the source of the fake news circulating on social media,” he said when contacted by Sudans Post. “The military is a separate entity, and we don’t make decisions regarding military operations.”
Meanwhile, a leaked internal update from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to its employees expressed concern about the volatile security situation in Unity State.
The report mentioned the involvement of Koch County youth in the SSPDF-SPLA-IO conflict and the anticipated participation of Mayom youth.
“The security situation remains fluid throughout Unity State with the recent clashes between SSPDF and SPLA-IO forces and the alleged ongoing mobilization and involvement of armed youths by the government in Koch, Bentiu and expectation of mobilization of Mayom armed youths,” the email obtained by Sudans Post reads in part.
These fears of renewed violence arise just days after the SSPDF attacked an opposition base in northern Unity State, resulting in the deaths of seven soldiers on both sides.
The SPLA-IO retreated from the base, known as Nyuelnyuel, to their former base in Garia following hours of fighting.
In Bentiu, there are claims that the government is preparing to attack another opposition base at Tong, a village located near Bentiu and Rubkona.
This base houses thousands of opposition soldiers and commanders, including SPLA-IO sector two commander General George Gatthuoy Thak and General John Turuk Khor Kuai, who were expelled from Bentiu by the governor in December 2023.
An attack on this base, situated only two kilometers from Bentiu, would severely jeopardize the revitalized peace agreement and mark a return to the conflict that claimed approximately 400,000 lives between 2013 and 2018.
