The opposition SPLA-IO said Monday they have recaptured the strategic border town of Akobo in eastern Jonglei State from government troops following fighting this morning.
John Wiyual Lul, the opposition-appointed commissioner of Akobo, told Radio Tamazuj that Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO) fighters retook the town, near the border with Ethiopia, after overrunning positions previously held by the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF).
“I would like to announce to the public that this morning our SPLA forces captured Akobo town from SSPDF forces. Now it is the SPLA-IO that is in control of Akobo,” Wiyual said.
He said opposition forces entered the town on Monday morning following clashes with government troops.
Wiyual said the security situation in Akobo had stabilized and urged displaced residents who had fled across the border into Ethiopia or to nearby areas to return home.
The recapture marks the latest shift in control of Akobo, which government forces took in mid-March.
Several videos reviewed by Radio Tamazuj showed SPLA-IO fighters and civilians celebrating in the town after its recapture. The town had largely been deserted before being taken by government forces in March, following evacuation orders for civilians and humanitarian workers.
Local sources in Akobo also confirmed that SPLA-IO forces, alongside allied White Army militia, had taken control of the town following fighting this morning that lasted for one hour.
In a separate statement, SPLA-IO spokesperson Col. Lam Paul Gabriel said the group’s Sector 3 forces had “recaptured Akobo County headquarters” after what he described as a 50-minute operation beginning at about 0530 hours.
He said opposition forces seized several military vehicles and weapons, including two unmounted pickup trucks, three pickup trucks mounted with 12.7mm guns, one pickup truck mounted with a BM-type weapon, and two heavy transport trucks, along with additional small and medium-range weapons.
SSPDF spokesman Maj. Lul Ruai Koang said he could not comment on the matter as he was still awaiting directives from the army chief.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) last week said it planned to close its temporary operating base in Akobo in the coming weeks.
Francesca Mold, UNMISS chief of communications and public information, told Radio Tamazuj that the base’s closure, originally scheduled for December 2025, had been delayed due to worsening security conditions in Akobo.
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