South Sudan’s fragile security situation at the brink this Saturday morning as fighting erupted between government forces and opposition fighters in Yei River County, with both sides offering unambiguously different accounts of the outcome.
The Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO) and their allies, the National Salvation Front-Thomas Cirillo (NAS-TC), claimed a “successful offensive” that resulted in the capture of two key military outposts.
According to a press release issued by SPLA-IO spokesperson Colonel Lam Paul Gabriel, a joint force launched attacks at approximately 5:00 a.m. on the SSPDF bases of Lasu and Libogo.
Colonel Lam’s statement claimed the joint forces killed 12 government soldiers and seized a significant cache of weapons, including a Land Cruiser mounted with a 14.5mm gun, a 120mm mortar, and a 12.7mm machine gun. He reported that five of their own “freedom fighters” were killed in the action.
However, Yei River County Commissioner Emmanuel TabanSeme swiftly dismissed the opposition’s claims as “media consumption.” In a statement to the media, Commissioner Taban confirmed an attack had taken place but stated the government forces had successfully repelled it.
“This was a normal attack, typical of rebel activity,” Commissioner Taban said. “They launched their assault on us this morning, just as they have on other government outposts. We responded accordingly, and the engagement lasted for about two hours before they were flushed out.”
He stressed that there were no confirmed casualties on the government side and that the situation had been under control since 10 a.m. He went on to directly challenge the opposition’s narrative.
“I am on the ground here, and he is not,” Taban said, referring to Colonel Lam.
“He is simply trying to create the impression that they are still a viable force. They may have attacked, but their presence didn’t last even two hours. This was nothing more than a hit-and-run attack.”
In a separate claim, Colonel Lam’s press release also stated that on Friday, SPLA-IO forces and armed youth around Nasir intercepted and “cleared” SSPDF elements accused of harassing and looting civilians in Jikmiir.
Furthermore, the SPLA-IO spokesperson claimed all their weapons were recovered. There was no immediate comment from the national government on this separate allegation.
The conflicting reports underscores the difficulty of verifying information from a distance in a region plagued by a long-running civil conflict and where both sides frequently use media as a tool to gain leverage.