Western Equatoria State’s acting governor, Daniel Badagbu Rimbasa, has dismissed allegations tying Maj. Gen. James Nando to armed attacks in Tombura County, calling them “propaganda” designed to sow division.
Tombura County has recently witnessed violence carried out by armed groups, raising fears that the unrest could fuel ethnic tensions in the area.
In June 2023, the U.S. administration imposed sanctions on James Nando, a major general in the South Sudanese military, over accusations that he oversaw soldiers who raped hundreds of women and girls between 2018 and 2021 in Western Equatoria State.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said Nando was aware of the abuses and failed to prevent or punish fighters responsible for sexual violence under his command.
Speaking to the media in Yambio, the capital of Western Equatoria, on Monday, Badagbu rejected the claims—widely circulated on social media against Gen. Nando—as baseless, warning they risk inflaming ethnic tensions in the volatile state.
“You cannot sit in the diaspora and make accusations without evidence or clear information,” he said, though he did not specify who was behind the allegations or provide counterevidence to support his dismissal.
The acting governor insisted Gen. Nando, currently stationed in Maridi County under SSPDF Division Six, commands no independent forces in Tombura. Instead, Badagbu blamed a group allegedly loyal to Alfred Futuyo Karaba, the state’s former governor and commander of the SPLA-IO, accusing it of ambushing convoys between Goni and Maridi to destabilize the state.
Yet the allegations against Nando are serious: Social media posts accuse his forces of recruiting militias and carrying out attacks that left civilians dead, homes burned, and military installations targeted. Some claims suggest he had backing from senior officials in Western Equatoria and Juba.
When reached for comment over the weekend in Tambura, Gen. James Nando denied any involvement in violence in Tambura, portraying himself as a neutral government soldier.
“I am serving as a government soldier, not a tribal fighter. I don’t stand with Zande, Balanda, Nuer, or Dinka. My role is to protect all communities,” he said.
Nando said security had improved since his deployment and accused Futuyo of fueling instability.
“Those in the bush who hate me will continue to see me deployed wherever the government needs me. I am not here to cause harm but to protect,” he added.
SPLA-IO commander Alfred Futuyo could not immediately be reached for comment on the accusations against him.