Officials said thousands of civilians have fled Akobo after the army issued an evacuation order, with the exodus starting on Saturday night. Military spokesperson Lul Ruai Koang stated that nongovernmental organizations and civilians were asked to evacuate to avoid unnecessary collateral damage as the government prepares a military assault targeting Akobo and surrounding areas. Akobo is one of the last strongholds of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition, led by detained Vice President Riek Machar. According to The Independent - Main, local official Nhial Lew described the town as now almost empty, with women, children, and the elderly having left and crossed into Ethiopia.
The humanitarian situation is dire, with fleeing civilians facing danger and widespread shortages of essential supplies, according to local officials. Two UN flights evacuated most humanitarian workers on Sunday, but the International Committee of the Red Cross runs a surgical unit at Akobo County Hospital and had not yet evacuated its staff. Fear of an imminent assault has local health authorities concerned, and according to The Independent - Main, Akobo County health director Dual Diew described worry for patients at the hospital, with plans to move them hindered by a lack of fuel. He also noted there were 84 wounded patients at the hospital, most of whom have been moved but lack medicine and basic nursing equipment. Doctors Without Borders evacuated its staff from Akobo on Saturday and learned of the subsequent looting of its hospital and ransacking of its office. The UN Mission in South Sudan warned of worsening humanitarian conditions and called for a cessation of hostilities, with mission chief Anita Kiki Gbeho stating that any military operations in and around Akobo gravely endanger the safety and security of civilians. UNMISS spokesperson Priyanka Chowdhury added that the mission is engaging intensively with all parties at all levels to help prevent further escalation and restore calm. UNMISS is due to close its base in Akobo following a reduction in humanitarian budgets. According to UNICEF, about 100,000 people have fled from South Sudan to neighboring Ethiopia after an attack from government forces, and the situation for children is described as increasingly worse, with high malnutrition and cholera outbreaks.
The town is now almost empty. Women, children and the elderly have left and crossed into Ethiopia.
Fighting has been reported west of Akobo since Saturday, and according to The Independent - Main, Nhial Lew described hearing the sound of machine guns approaching on Sunday evening. A 2018 peace deal between Machar and President Salva Kiir has nearly collapsed since fighting resumed between their forces last year, with confrontations dramatically increasing in northern Jonglei since December when opposition forces captured government outposts. A government counteroffensive repelled opposition forces and displaced more than 280,000 people in a few weeks. Akobo, under opposition control since the 2013 civil war, was seen as a relatively safe haven, with over 82,000 displaced people seeking refuge there due to the presence of UN peacekeepers. On Saturday, civilians in Akobo demonstrated against the army’s ultimatum and marched toward the UN base calling for peace and protection. The UN has expressed concern over violence in Akobo, which was retaken by opposition forces after they ousted government troops. SPLA-in-Opposition spokesman Lam Paul Gabriel said that fighting started over the weekend and opposition fighters captured the town and took military vehicles and weapons. Government troops, which seized the town in March, withdrew. Public service minister Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth claimed that the attacks are senseless and unjustified, with opposition forces putting civilians in harm’s way. The army would provide more details on what transpired, but the army spokesperson refused to comment. Videos circulated on social media showed opposition fighters in key locations, including near the airstrip and administrative headquarters, suggesting the group had established a presence in central administrative areas. The background is fighting in the city of Akobo in Jonglei State, where the army earlier in March ordered evacuation. South Sudan has been marked by conflict since the country became independent in 2011.
Key questions remain unanswered, including the current status of the government's military assault on Akobo and surrounding areas, how many civilians remain in Akobo and their condition, and what specific actions are being taken by the UN and other international bodies to protect civilians and provide humanitarian aid. The details of the opposition forces' capture of Akobo, including casualties and strategic implications, are also unclear, as is the timeline and plan for UNMISS's closure of its Akobo base due to budget reductions. UNMISS has not officially responded to the government’s order to shut down its base, but the mission said it was engaging intensively with national, state, and local stakeholders regarding this order. Christophe Garnier, leader of Doctors Without Borders in South Sudan, warned that people in Akobo must now either flee without protection or remain at risk of being killed, while losing access to healthcare and other essential services.
We are hearing the sound of machine guns approaching.
We are worried for our patients at the hospital. We tried to make a plan to take them to a safer location, but we don’t have enough fuel.
We have most of them with us here now.