Warrap and Abyei Territorial Misrepresentation and Clashes

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Warrap and Abyei Territorial Misrepresentation and Clashes
Warrap and Abyei Territorial Misrepresentation and Clashes

MORRIS YOLL

Africa-Press – South-Sudan. On October 6, 2025, a violent clash erupted between defected SPLA-IO soldiers and SSPDF forces—not near Athony, but squarely within it. Athony is a locality firmly situated in Twic County. The confrontation claimed the lives of 17 soldiers and civilians and left five others wounded.

In the aftermath, the Warrap State Government, Abyei Special Administration, and SSPDF spokespersons began using ambiguous terminology to describe the location of the incident. All parties coined the phrase “fighting outside the Abyei Box,” a term that deliberately obscures the truth. None has clarified where the defected soldiers—originally from the SSPDF’s Tiger Division stationed inside Twic County—fled after their defection.

This misrepresentation is not incidental. It is central to understanding the deliberate narrative manipulation now unfolding between Warrap and Abyei authorities.

After the fighting, defecting SPLA-IO soldiers moved through Malual Aleu—another Twic County locality—where they joined additional SPLA-IO elements before crossing into Abyei’s administrative areas. Simultaneously, other SPLA-IO soldiers stationed across Twic County deserted and regrouped in Rum Ameer, a known shelter within the Abyei. Their movement into Abyei territory signals a connection with the Titbaai militia, especially given Abyei’s longstanding refusal to allow SSPDF deployment inside the so-called “Abyei Box.”

Despite this clear trajectory, Warrap State issued a vague statement claiming the defectors were “en route” to Unity State—conveniently ignoring the geographic reality that Twic County and Ruweng County lie between Abyei and Unity. This rhetorical sleight of hand appears designed to deflect attention from the fact that the defectors remain in Abyei territory, under the shelter of its administration.

The Abyei Special Administration, for its part, initially denied that the fighting occurred within its jurisdiction, claiming it happened “outside the Abyei Box.” Yet this admission inadvertently confirms Athony’s location in Twic County—a truth that undermines Abyei’s territorial claims. Acknowledging the defectors’ presence in Abyei territory would risk exposing the Administration’s complicity in harboring rebels.

This is not merely a dispute over borders. It is a calculated effort to obscure the truth, protect political interests, and avoid accountability. The refusal to name Athony, Malual Aleu, and Rum Ameer with precision is a refusal to confront the reality of rebellion, sheltering, and administrative silence.

We call on all parties to speak plainly. To name the soil. To honor the truth.

The people of Twic County deserve clarity—not erasure. The region deserves peace—not rhetorical fog.

Let the map speak.

Let the truth breathe.

Let leadership rise to meet the moment.

 

Source: Radio Tamazuj

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