A senior South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) officer is feared dead following intense clashes in Akobo County, Jonglei State, after opposition forces recaptured the strategic border town.

The Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO), supported by White Army fighters, retook Akobo on Monday, April 13, 2026, after fighting broke out at dawn.

SSPDF spokesman Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang declined to comment, stating that the security situation in Akobo remained “fluid.”

A relative of the missing officer, Abui Miaker said on Friday that Brigadier General Santino Riak Athian Chok is feared dead after being shot in the stomach during the clashes.

His driver was also shot but survived and has been rescued.

“The driver has been rescued and is alive, but the rest of the soldiers who were with him in the vehicle were killed,” Miaker said.

“Most of the bodyguards have been killed, including one of our relatives called Mayiik. The car was moved but later got stuck in the mud.”

The family is still searching for the general’s body but arranged funeral prayers for Sunday, April 19, 2026.

Brig. Gen. Santino Riak Athian Chok previously served as commissioner of Pigi County in 2009.

Government forces had entered Akobo in mid-March — their first presence in the area in 12 years — before being pushed out by the latest SPLA-IO offensive.

The renewed fighting has once again heightened insecurity in northern Jonglei and raised concerns over civilian safety and humanitarian access in the region.