The authorities in Jonglei State’s Akobo County said the security situation in the county headquarters is calm, amidst a dire humanitarian situation, despite recent clashes in Walgak Payam, which saw the SSPDF recapture the area last week after the SPLA-IO briefly captured it.
The opposition SPLA-IO recaptured Akobo Town on the Ethiopian border from the SSPDF on 13 April and has since been urging civilians who crossed to Ethiopia to return to their homes.
The SSPDF launched “Operation Enduring Peace” in early 2026 to combat SPLA-IO forces in northern Jonglei, resulting in heavy fighting, aerial bombardments, and over 230,000 people displaced. The offensive focused on Uror, Nyirol, and Akobo counties, with the army ordering civilians and aid agencies to evacuate SPLA-IO-controlled areas to avoid becoming casualties. In early February, the military claimed they had crushed SPLA-IO forces and their allied White Army militia in northern Jonglei state, a key opposition stronghold, following weeks of heavy fighting.
Posts and videos across social media platforms showed SPLA-IO soldiers celebrating the recapture of Walgak, on the western side of Akobo Town, from the SSPDF on 29 April.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Monday morning, John Wiyual Lul, the opposition-appointed commissioner of Akobo County, confirmed that the SSPDF is in control of Walgak but that the situation in the rest of the county remains calm.
“After our forces took control of Walgak last week, the government troops reinforced and took it back, after our forces withdrew,” he said. “However, the situation in the rest of the county, including in Akobo Town, is calm.”
Asked about allegations that the SPLA-IO was using civilians as human shields, the commissioner denied it, saying: “It is soldiers fighting, and civilians are not involved.”
Wiyual said civilians had begun returning to the town in thousands.
“Due to the spread of many diseases and poor health conditions on the Ethiopian side of the border, many civilians are returning to their homes amid a dire humanitarian crisis,” he stated. “We are appealing to aid agencies to come to our aid.”
SSPDF spokesperson Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang was not immediately available for comment.
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