South Sudan Army Issues Forced Evacuation Order for Thousands in Akobo

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Thousands of civilians have fled the town of Akobo in eastern South Sudan as the army ordered evacuations ahead of a planned military offensive. The South Sudan People’s Defense Forces issued an ultimatum on Friday, demanding that civilians, aid workers, and United Nations peacekeepers leave the area by Monday afternoon.

According to local humanitarian official Nhial Lew, the town was largely emptied by Sunday evening, with women, children, and the elderly crossing into Ethiopia. By Sunday night, Lew reported hearing the sound of machine guns approaching as the conflict closed in on the area.

The army’s deadline for evacuations is part of a government counteroffensive launched in January, dubbed Operation Enduring Peace. This operation has already displaced over 280,000 people across Jonglei state since December, when opposition forces began seizing government positions.

The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan warned that the country’s leadership must take urgent action to address the challenges facing the nation, citing a possible “return to full-scale war” if steps are not taken. The commission emphasized the need for coordinated national, regional, and international engagement to prevent further mass atrocity crimes and institutional collapse.

Akobo was considered a relatively safe haven, hosting over 82,000 displaced people. Two UN flights evacuated most humanitarian staff on Sunday, while the International Committee of the Red Cross had not yet pulled its personnel from a surgical unit it runs at the local hospital, where wounded patients were still being treated.

The offensive comes amid a wider breakdown of the 2018 peace agreement that ended a civil war between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and those backing former vice president Riek Machar. Machar has been under house arrest in Juba since March 2025, facing charges of treason and murder. His supporters claim the charges are politically motivated.

On Sunday, at least 169 people were killed, including 90 civilians, when armed men stormed a village in Abiemnom county in the north. The local administrator blamed the attack on elements of the White Army, a militia historically allied to Machar, alongside SPLM-IO-affiliated forces. The group denied any involvement.

More than 1,000 people sought shelter at a UN base in the area, where aid organizations have also been targeted. Doctors Without Borders reported that 26 of its staff remain unaccounted for, a month after a government air strike destroyed its hospital in the conflict zone.

Source: Al Jazeera