Dozens killed in African state’s clashes with opposition
At least 48 people were killed and more than 150 injured in fierce fighting between government forces and opposition fighters in the northeastern border town of Burebiey, South Sudan, local outlet reported on Sunday, citing Upper Nile State Governor James Koang.
According to Eye Radio, the clashes erupted on Saturday morning, when fighters from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM/SPLA-IO) launched an attack on a base belonging to the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF).
Koang reported that the attackers were swiftly repelled. “And now the situation is normal. The report we received is that more than 48 from the IO [SPLM/SPLA-IO] and the White Army were killed, and more than 148 were wounded. But on the SSPDF side, no deaths; they sustained only four injuries,” the official said.
The governor appealed to residents to remain calm and urged the opposition fighters to cease attacks on SSPDF positions.
The clashes come amid heightened political turmoil after the SPLM-IO called on its supporters to mobilize for “regime change.” Earlier this week, several outlets cited a statement from the SPLM-IO signed by acting chairman Oyet Nathaniel Pierino and posted on X. The opposition accused President Salva Kiir’s administration of turning the country into a “dictatorship.”
This followed the filing of criminal charges by Justice Minister Ruben Madol against Machar and Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol, accusing them of a role in ethnic militia attacks on national forces earlier this year. Both were suspended by presidential decree this month.
Kiir and Machar have shared power under a fragile agreement since the end of South Sudan’s 2013-2018 civil war, a conflict that displaced millions and left an estimated 400,000 dead.
Clashes in South Sudan earlier this year led to the deaths of several government soldiers after a UN helicopter came under fire. The SSPDF are battling the White Army militia, which is composed largely of Nuer fighters, the vice president’s ethnic group.
Machar has since been placed under house arrest on accusations of fueling the conflict.
