South Sudan army orders evacuation of UN peacekeepers ahead of operations

The South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF) on Friday ordered the immediate evacuation of the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping force and all humanitarian agencies ahead of offensive operations against opposition forces in Akobo near the Ethiopian border.

SSPDF Spokesperson Lul Ruai Koang said that they plan to launch operations to flush out the Sudan People's Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO) forces holed up in Akobo County.

Koang disclosed that the SSPDF Chief of Defense Forces, Paul Nang Majok, has ordered the closure and immediate withdrawal of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) forces from their temporary operating base in Akobo County within 72 hours.

"All UN agencies, NGOs and their staff are ordered to leave within the same window of opportunity. All civilians living in Akobo town and surrounding villages are hereby ordered to either relocate to the nearest SSPDF-controlled areas or leave for areas they deem safer," Koang told journalists in Juba.

"The above orders are being issued in advance in order to avoid unnecessary collateral damage. We have given this order because we are done with recapturing bases that we had lost in December 2025 and early January 2026," he said.