Africa-Press – South-Sudan. A senior South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) officer is feared killed during recent clashes between government troops and opposition forces in Akobo County, Jonglei State, his family said.
The opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLA-IO), together with allied White Army fighters, recaptured the strategic border town of Akobo in eastern Jonglei State on Monday, April 13, following fighting at dawn.
SSPDF spokesman Maj. Lul Ruai Koang said he could not comment on the matter, saying the situation in Akobo remained fluid.
Government forces entered Akobo in mid-March, marking their first presence in the area in 12 years.
A relative of the missing army officer, Abui Miaker, told Radio Tamazuj on Friday that Brigadier General Santino Riak Athian Chok is feared dead as his body has not been recovered.
He said the officer was shot in the stomach and that his driver was also shot while they were in the vehicle. He added that the general later got out of the vehicle but has not been found since.
“The driver has been rescued and is alive, but the rest of the soldiers who were with him in the vehicle were killed. Most of the bodyguards have been killed, including one of our relatives called Mayiik. The car was moved but later got stuck in the mud, which is why they left it,” he said.
He said the family is still searching for the officer but has arranged funeral prayers for Sunday, April 19, 2026.
Santino Riak Athian Chok had previously served as commissioner of Pigi County in 2009.
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