Nuer officials in South Sudan’s transitional government on Wednesday accused international organisations, aid agencies and the United States of spreading what they called misinformation about alleged ethnic targeting of the Nuer people, saying military operations are aimed at armed groups rather than civilians.
At a press conference in Juba, the officials rejected recent allegations of ethnic-based violence against Nuer civilians and warned that such claims risk inflaming tensions and undermining the country’s fragile peace process.
“We categorically reject these claims as false, misleading, inflammatory and inconsistent with the policies of the government of the Republic of South Sudan,” Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth said while reading a statement on behalf of what he called the “Nuer Executive Caucus” within the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity.
Lol, the minister of public service and human resource development, is a member of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and a close ally of President Salva Kiir.
The officials criticised a May 12 statement by the U.S. State Department imposing visa restrictions on individuals accused of undermining peace in South Sudan.
The U.S. had also said the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF), controlled by President Salva Kiir, had conducted a military offensive in northern Jonglei State that displaced 300,000 people and created the conditions for a potential famine in large parts of South Sudan. There have also been credible reports of human rights violations and ethnically motivated killings of the Nuer people, it added.
The government officials also referred to a recent report by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) documenting escalating violence in parts of the country.
While acknowledging insecurity and civilian suffering in conflict-affected areas, Gatkuoth denied that government forces or the SSPDF had conducted operations targeting the Nuer community.
“At no point has the government of the Republic of South Sudan, or the SSPDF, conducted operations aimed at targeting the Nuer community as an ethnic group,” he said.
He said security operations in Upper Nile and other affected areas were intended to “address armed criminal elements, restore public order and protect civilians.”
Gatkuoth warned that what he described as unverified accusations of ethnic persecution could damage inter-communal relations and derail reconciliation efforts.
“As Nuer leaders serving within the government and public institutions of South Sudan, we would neither remain silent nor indifferent in the face of any deliberate targeting of our community,” he said. “The portrayal of the current situation as an organised campaign against the Nuer community is unfounded and inaccurate.”
The officials urged international actors, including NGOs and diplomatic missions, to coordinate with the government before publishing reports on violence.
“We respectfully encourage international partners, including NGOs, development partners, diplomatic missions and the wider international community to engage through balanced dialogue and objective verification of facts before drawing conclusions,” Gatkuoth said.
Simon Kun Puoch, third deputy chairman of the SPLM and a member of the Nuer community, also addressed the briefing, accusing some humanitarian organisations and international actors of relying on opposition-linked sources.
“Our partners and NGOs working in South Sudan do not go with the law and rules of the country,” he said. “They report as they wish. They don’t share their reports with the government.”
He said government forces were fighting armed rebellion rather than targeting civilians, and accused the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) of mobilising armed youth in Nuer areas.
“The SPLM-IO is using White Army. Innocent people are being collected to fight the government,” he said.
Kun Puoch urged opposition groups to abandon armed struggle and take part in elections, and defended President Kiir’s leadership.
“President Salva Kiir and his government are for all the 64 tribes,” he said. “They will never target any single community in the Republic of South Sudan.”
He also warned against misinformation circulating on social media, including content generated using artificial intelligence.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister for Information David Yau Yau described allegations of systematic killings of Nuer civilians as “malicious and unfounded”.
“The government categorically rejects these claims as entirely fabricated, inflammatory and part of a calculated campaign to destabilize the hard-won peace and national unity of our republic,” he said.
He urged media organisations, civil society groups and international partners to exercise caution when reporting on violence in South Sudan, warning that misinformation could worsen insecurity.
“The spread of misinformation is not merely irresponsible; it is a direct threat to the fragile security environment we are working tirelessly to maintain,” he said.
The press conference comes amid renewed insecurity in parts of Upper Nile and Jonglei states, where clashes have displaced thousands of civilians in recent months.
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