The South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) has accused forces from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO) of carrying out two deadly attacks on commercial trucks along a key supply route in Central Equatoria State last week, leaving one person dead and six others abducted. The SPLA-IO rejected the allegations as “baseless.”
Tensions between the SSPDF, commanded by President Salva Kiir, and the SPLA-IO, loyal to First Vice President Riek Machar, have escalated in recent weeks following Machar’s detention on March 26 in Juba.
The two leaders signed a peace deal in 2018, but critical provisions—such as unifying armed groups into a national army and preparing for long-delayed elections—remain unresolved. The vote is now scheduled for December 2026.
In a statement on Monday, SSPDF spokesperson Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang said the first ambush occurred on May 1 between Koda and Nyori along the Juba-Terekeka Road.
“At around 11:30 a.m., a commercial truck traveling from Bahr el Ghazal to Juba was attacked, set on fire, and a Somali national was killed on the spot,” Lul said.
Hours later, he added, a second truck—a 30-ton vehicle with registration number SSD 545AJ—was hijacked near the same location while en route to Northern Bahr el Ghazal State.
“The attackers forced the truck toward an SPLA-IO base known as ‘Bai Bai,’ but it broke down before arrival. They offloaded the cargo in the bush and fled,” Lul stated.
According to Maj. Gen. Lul, government forces from the National Security Service’s Internal Security Bureau pursued the assailants, rescuing four of the six abducted crew members—three Sudanese nationals and one South Sudanese. Two others remain missing.
“The hostages were tortured over 48 hours. The attackers stole five smartphones and four million South Sudanese pounds,” Lul said.
He urged truck drivers to avoid nighttime travel, advising them to seek shelter in government-controlled areas by 5 p.m. due to rising insecurity.
For his part, the SPLA-IO denied responsibility for the attacks, with spokesperson Col. Lam Paul Gabriel calling the accusations a “fabrication.”
“We read with dismay the baseless claims by the SSPDF that our forces ambushed civilian trucks. The SPLA-IO does not target civilians—whether in their homes or on the roads,” Lam said.
He accused the SSPDF of using the SPLA-IO as a scapegoat.
“The SSPDF must take full responsibility for what happened to those trucks and their occupants instead of blaming us to justify further aggression.”
No independent verification of the attacks was immediately available.