Intense fighting erupted on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Akobo town, Jonglei State, as government forces (SSPDF) advanced into the opposition stronghold and briefly seized control before being repelled by SPLA-IO fighters.

Both sides claimed dominance over the town by evening, amid reports of civilian casualties, abandoned weapons, and widespread flight across the border into Ethiopia.

The clashes followed the expiration of a 72-hour SSPDF ultimatum issued on March 6, ordering civilians, humanitarian agencies, and UNMISS peacekeepers to vacate Akobo ahead of a new phase of military operations against SPLA-IO positions.

Thousands had already fled, leaving the town largely deserted.

According to John Wiyual Lul, the SPLA-IO-appointed commissioner of Akobo County, SSPDF troops—accompanied by former commissioner James Kueth Makuach (reinstated by the government)—entered the town in the morning, attacked SPLA-IO positions, and briefly captured it.

However, SPLA-IO forces launched a counterattack around 3 p.m., pushing government troops back to Wech-Deng, a few kilometers west of Akobo.

Lul reported that three civilians were killed by SSPDF, including a mentally ill man in the market.

He added that two SSPDF soldiers were killed in the morning clashes, with their weapons seized, and four more SSPDF soldiers died in evening fighting, leading to the abandonment of four AK-47 rifles and one RPG before the retreat.

In contrast, James Kueth Makuach appeared in videos welcoming SSPDF troops at their forward base in Wech-Deng and later from the county headquarters in Akobo.

He claimed the town had “fallen peacefully” to government forces, urged residents to return home to prevent looting, appealed for shops and mobile services to reopen, and said church services and humanitarian assistance could resume the following week.

He emphasized that unarmed SPLA-IO fighters moving as civilians would not be targeted and expressed gratitude to SSPDF and community leaders for “rescuing Akobo” from destruction.

Akobo remains the last major SPLA-IO stronghold in the Lou Nuer area after government forces recaptured bases in Nyirol and Uror counties earlier in 2026.

The fighting has displaced thousands, with Akobo County hosting around 245,000 people, including many internally displaced from other parts of Jonglei.

UNMISS peacekeepers have stayed at their temporary operating base despite the evacuation order, operating under their mandate to protect civilians.

Humanitarian groups have largely withdrawn, raising alarms over access to aid in the region.

The renewed violence in northern Jonglei threatens the fragile 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement, with international calls growing for de-escalation and dialogue to prevent a broader humanitarian catastrophe.