{"id":91826,"date":"2026-04-13T14:18:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T14:18:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/fighting-resumes-in-akobo-after-unmiss-exit-plans"},"modified":"2026-04-13T14:42:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T14:42:31","slug":"fighting-resumes-in-akobo-after-unmiss-exit-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/fighting-resumes-in-akobo-after-unmiss-exit-plans","title":{"rendered":"Fighting Resumes in Akobo After UNMISS Exit Plans"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – South-Sudan. <\/strong><\/span>BOR \u2014 Renewed fighting has erupted in the embattled Akobo of South Sudan\u2019s Jonglei State, less than a week after the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) announced plans to close its base in the county, citing improved security.<\/p>\n

On Monday, the Sudan People\u2019s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) claimed it had retaken control of the area, amid accusations of \u201csenseless and unjustified attacks\u201d that have endangered civilians and disrupted essential services.<\/p>\n

In a brief but pointed statement issued Monday, SPLM-IO spokesperson Pal Mai Deng announced that \u201cAkobo has fallen to SPLA-IO Sector Three Command under Gen. John Luk,\u201d adding that further operational details would be released by Col. Lam Paul Gabriel.<\/p>\n

Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, the Minister of Public Service and a senior member of the SPLM in Government (SPLM-IG) confirmed the development Monday, accusing the SPLA-IO and allied White Army forces of orchestrating two consecutive days of attacks on April 12 and 13.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnough is enough,\u201d Gatkuoth said in a strongly worded statement, asserting that the assaults targeted South Sudan People\u2019s Defence Forces (SSPDF) units \u201clawfully deployed to safeguard peace, security and territorial integrity,\u201d while also putting civilians directly in harm\u2019s way.<\/p>\n

He described the violence as \u201ca pattern of reckless failure,\u201d citing attacks on civilians, disruption of basic services, and attempts to destabilise local communities. Gatkuoth maintained that the SSPDF remains committed to defending the country\u2019s territorial integrity under the command of President Salva Kiir.<\/p>\n

The latest escalation, reported on Monday, has drawn sharp concern from the Jonglei Civil Society Network, which warned that the resumption of hostilities risks worsening an already fragile humanitarian situation in the region.<\/p>\n

Bol Deng Bol, Chairperson of the Jonglei Civil Society Network, condemned the return to violence, saying it is exacerbating the suffering of civilians, particularly internally displaced persons already struggling to survive.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe relapse into violence must be strongly condemned. The ongoing confrontation risks undermining fragile peace efforts,\u201d Bol said, warning that fighting in civilian-populated areas is deepening displacement and depriving vulnerable communities of basic needs.<\/p>\n

He further cautioned that continued hostilities between signatories to the 2018 peace agreement threaten to erode trust and reverse gains made under the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan. According to Bol, sustained military engagement only widens divisions at a time when dialogue and compromise are urgently needed.<\/p>\n

The civil society network also called on regional and continental actors, including the African Union, to intensify efforts aimed at consolidating peace and preventing further escalation. It urged both the SPLM-IO and SPLM-IG leadership to recommit to dialogue and fully implement the peace deal to avert further civilian suffering.<\/p>\n

The recent clashes come amid the cautious return of civilians who were displaced during the previous circle of confrontation between the government and opposition forces.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About South-Sudan<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – South-Sudan. BOR \u2014 Renewed fighting has erupted in the embattled Akobo of South Sudan\u2019s Jonglei State, less than a week after the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) announced plans to close its base in the county, citing improved security. On Monday, the Sudan People\u2019s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) claimed it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":91825,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[233],"class_list":["post-91826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-south-sudan"],"yoast_head":"\nFighting Resumes in Akobo After UNMISS Exit Plans - South Sudan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"BOR \u2014 Renewed fighting has erupted in the embattled Akobo of South Sudan\u2019s Jonglei State, less than a week after the Uni ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/fighting-resumes-in-akobo-after-unmiss-exit-plans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fighting Resumes in Akobo After UNMISS Exit Plans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"BOR \u2014 Renewed fighting has erupted in the embattled Akobo of South Sudan\u2019s Jonglei State, less than a week after the Uni ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/fighting-resumes-in-akobo-after-unmiss-exit-plans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"South Sudan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-13T14:18:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-13T14:42:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/sites\/32\/2026\/04\/sm_1776078707.790536.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/fighting-resumes-in-akobo-after-unmiss-exit-plans#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/fighting-resumes-in-akobo-after-unmiss-exit-plans\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Fighting Resumes in Akobo After UNMISS Exit Plans\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-13T14:18:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-13T14:42:31+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/fighting-resumes-in-akobo-after-unmiss-exit-plans\"},\"wordCount\":484,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/fighting-resumes-in-akobo-after-unmiss-exit-plans#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/sites\/32\/2026\/04\/sm_1776078707.790536.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"South-Sudan\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/fighting-resumes-in-akobo-after-unmiss-exit-plans#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/fighting-resumes-in-akobo-after-unmiss-exit-plans\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/fighting-resumes-in-akobo-after-unmiss-exit-plans\",\"name\":\"Fighting Resumes in Akobo After UNMISS Exit Plans - 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