South Sudan’s army on Saturday said it has captured the strategic border area of Wunkur in the Ruweng Administrative Area from opposition SPLA-IO forces, marking the first change of control in eight years.
This comes just days after the SSPDF captured Tonga, the headquarters of neighboring Panyikang County in Upper Nile state.
The South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) said it took control of Wunkur from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLA-IO), in what it described as operations without losses.
Wunkur borders Sudan’s South Kordofan state to the north, Upper Nile State (Panyikang County) to the east, Jonglei State to the southeast, and Unity State to the south and west.
Gen. Kong Thou, SSPDF deputy chief of defense for operations, visited Wunkur on Saturday to inspect the area. He told Radio Tamazuj that the area was captured on Friday afternoon.
“The area of Wunkur was liberated without losses, and our forces have high morale. What remains is to clear the route from here to Tonga — after that, nothing will be left,” he said.
“We want to close our borders to block any support with ammunition from the enemies of peace. We appeal to citizens to return to the liberated area, but without carrying guns. We want to silence the guns in this country so that people can focus on production — farming and cattle rearing — without fear of insecurity.”
Maj. Gen. Adong Kuol Dau, commander of operations in SSPDF Division 4, echoed the same message and praised the morale of the troops. He urged opposition forces to lay down their arms.
“We call on those still fighting the government to stop. People are tired of war. It is senseless to continue killing each other in our own country,” he said.
He added that families of opposition soldiers found in Wunkur would be treated humanely, calling them “innocent civilians.”
Separately, James Monyluak Mijok, Minister of Information in the Ruweng Administrative Area, issued a statement on Friday confirming Wunkur’s capture.
“The Government of RAA congratulates the gallant SSPDF forces for their bravery and dedication in restoring peace and stability,” the statement read.
SSPDF troops reportedly discovered several families — including women, children, and elderly people believed to be relatives of SPLA-IO soldiers who had withdrawn from the area — living in difficult humanitarian conditions.
The SPLA-IO could not immediately be reached for comment.
Both the SSPDF and SPLA-IO are signatories to the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), which aimed to end a five-year civil war that killed an estimated 400,000 people.
However, key provisions of the agreement — including the unification of forces, the drafting of a permanent constitution, and plans for national elections — remain largely unimplemented.
President Salva Kiir, First Vice President and SPLM-IO leader Riek Machar — who is currently in detention — and other political leaders signed the deal.
The United Nations has warned that the country risks sliding back into full-scale conflict. The United States and other Western embassies have repeatedly urged the transitional government to de-escalate tensions.