South Sudan’s main opposition has accused government forces of launching a coordinated assault near the capital, Juba, early Tuesday.
The attack reportedly targeted a military cantonment site in Panyume, Central Equatoria, a region divided between rival factions under a fragile 2018 peace deal.
That agreement ended a brutal five-year civil war which claimed nearly 400,000 lives and installed a unity government led by President Salva Kiir and Vice-President Riek Machar.
Recent months, however, have seen growing cracks in the pact, with Kiir allegedly sidelining Machar, who was placed under house arrest in March.
Opposition spokesperson Lam Paul Gabriel stated that South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) attacked from multiple fronts, but were “repulsed with heavy casualties.”
He further claimed that government forces followed up with an aerial strike, destroying public buildings and civilian homes in Panyume.
Gabriel warned civilians across four counties to evacuate immediately, saying the area was being turned into a battlefield.
The government has yet to issue a response, and no official casualty figures have been confirmed.
Meanwhile, the opposition’s military wing, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO), ordered troops to remain alert and defend both their positions and nearby civilians.
“Lt. Gen. Peter Thok Chuol hereby directs all units of SPLA-IO to be vigilant,” said Gabriel in a separate statement.
This latest flare-up underscores rising instability in South Sudan, where a peace long promised seems increasingly out of reach.
