South Sudan’s Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Paul Nang Majok, visited Nasir on Monday morning, a day after government troops recaptured the strategic town near the Ethiopian border from the White Army, a group of armed Nuer youths.
The military operation to retake Nasir was a joint effort between the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF), with UPDF troops deployed in Juba at the request of South Sudan’s government.
South Sudan is a significant export market for Uganda, with Ugandan exports to South Sudan reaching $536 million in 2023, highlighting a substantial increase over the past five years. Key Ugandan exports to South Sudan include cement, cereal flours, and raw iron bars.
The White Army had overrun an SSPDF base in Nasir on March 4, killing a senior general and several soldiers.
President Salva Kiir’s allies have accused First Vice President Riek Machar’s forces of collaborating with the White Army to fuel unrest in the area.
During his visit, Gen. Majok was accompanied by Gen. Kong Thou, the SSPDF commander who led the operation, as well as senior officers including Gen. Johnson Olony, the assistant chief of defence forces for disarmament.
Gen. Majok praised the troops’ bravery, describing them as “heroic and courageous,” and thanked them for their sacrifices in liberating Nasir. “The president of the republic and the commander in chief has sent his greetings… I am with you in Nasir and I have been monitoring your movement since you started to advance,” he told the soldiers.
He acknowledged the loss of General David Majur Dak and other forces but celebrated the successful recapture of Nasir. Majok stated that the White Army had been “wiped out,” and promised to pursue the remaining fighters. He urged SPLA forces to disarm and report to training camps under the peace deal’s security provisions.
Majok condemned the White Army as a “terrorist organization and outlaws” and called on Nasir residents to return any weapons seized from the SSPDF. He also warned against further clashes and urged community leaders to assist displaced civilians in returning home.
Despite the efforts to maintain peace, the 2018 peace deal between Kiir and Machar is on the brink of collapse.
Machar was placed under house arrest on March 26, and violence across the country has resulted in nearly 200 deaths and the displacement of 125,000 people since March, according to the U.N.
Human Rights Watch has accused the army of using incendiary devices in Upper Nile state, causing the deaths of nearly 60 people over the past month.
