The Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In-Opposition (SPLA-IO) in Jonglei State’s Nyirol County has threatened to attack government-held positions in the county following the recent airstrikes by the SSPDF there.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Thursday, Peter Gatkuoth Koang, the SPLM-IO-appointed commissioner of Nyirol County, accused the government of orchestrating the recent airstrikes to destabilize the Lou Nuer area. He said that following the airstrikes on Tuesday, calm had been restored, but that the situation remains fragile.

“The attack on 11 November was provocative as it targeted civilian areas,” he stated. “The airstrikes add to the past provocation where the government is trying to create insecurity between Ayod and Nyirol.”

The SPLM-IO official said the continued SSPDF attacks are a provocation that amounts to a violation of the 2018 peace agreement.

“If the government continues abrogating the peace deal, we will expel their county commissioner,” he stressed. “Their commissioner, James Bol Makuey, has been behind these provocations, so we cannot continue tolerating his presence.”

However, James Bol Makuey, the Nyirol County commissioner, dismissed the accusations against him as propaganda.

“These allegations against me are not true. I have been a peacemaker between our communities and those in Ayod and even the Greater Pibor. So, everyone knows me as a peacemaker,” he said. “As for the threat against me, no one can force me to leave because I am a son of the Lou Nuer, and I can not cause any harm to my community.”

Meanwhile, Ter Manyang Gatwech, a civil society activist who doubles as the executive director of the Center for Peace and Advocacy (CPA), pleaded with the country’s political leadership for peace.

“What do our leaders want. If people are finished, who will they rule?” he queried. “These airstrikes are not acceptable. Peace and dialogue should be given a chance. Who is the government supporting now when the fighting involves rival SPLA-IO factions?”