South Sudan orders UN personnel, civilians to leave parts of Jonglei State
JUBA, January 26 (Reuters) – South Sudan’s military has ordered all civilians and staff at the UN mission and all other charities to evacuate three townships in Jonglei State ahead of an operation against opposition forces.
Conflicts, which the United Nations says have occurred on a scale not seen since 2017, have shaken South Sudan, Africa’s youngest country, for months.
Some of the heaviest fighting took place in Jonglei, in the east of the country, on the border with Ethiopia, where the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) attempted to stop an attack by fighters loyal to the Sudan People’s Liberation Army Opposition (SPLA-IO).
The SSPDF said on Sunday that an operation codenamed “operation lasting peace” was “imminent”.
All civilians living in Jonglei’s Nyirol, Uror and Akobo districts “have been directed to evacuate to government-controlled areas as soon as possible for safety purposes,” the military said.
All staff at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and those working in non-governmental organizations were also ordered to evacuate three districts within 48 hours.
“Our peacekeepers in Akobo remain in place and are carrying out all efforts under our authority to reduce tensions and prevent conflicts,” a UNMISS spokesman told Reuters. He did not say whether UN personnel were also staying in other districts.
Last week, the SPLA-IO signaled great tension by calling for its forces to march on Juba, the capital of South Sudan.
Earlier this month, SPLA-IO forces captured the town of Pajut in intense fighting in northern Jonglei, and it was thought that capturing the town would put the state capital Bor at risk.
UNMISS said on Sunday that 180,000 people in the state had been displaced by the conflict and called on South Sudan’s leaders to “put the interests of their people first by stopping fighting”.
Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said in a statement on Sunday that it was evacuating key staff from Akobo district “on the express instructions of the relevant authorities and in response to the deteriorating security situation in the area”.
SPLA-IO forces, led by South Sudan’s vice president Riek Machar, fought the army in the 2013-18 civil war, which was largely fought along ethnic lines and left nearly 400,000 dead.
Although local clashes continue, a peace agreement in 2018 silenced the conflict.
(Writing by Denis Logonyi; Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
