Opposition forces from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition – SPLA-IO, loyal to First Vice President Riek Machar, have reportedly seized the strategic town of Yuai, the administrative headquarters of Uror County in Jonglei State, following intense fighting with government troops.

According to Lt. Col. Khor Nyang Mabor, spokesperson for the SPLA-IO in Jonglei, the capture occurred on Friday morning after several hours of heavy combat that began around 3 a.m.

“Our forces were attacked by the SSPDF while moving between Pathai and Pabuong,” Mabor stated.

He described the engagement as a defensive counter-offensive that led to the complete overrun of the garrison by dawn.

Mabor reported that nine SPLA-IO soldiers sustained gunshot wounds and are being treated at a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) hospital in nearby Lankien. He further claimed that SPLA-IO fighters, supported by allied White Army militias, are pursuing retreating South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) soldiers.

Casualty figures on the government side remain unverified.

The SSPDF has not officially confirmed the loss of Yuai.

Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang, the army spokesperson, declined to comment on the status of the garrison, saying he was awaiting guidance from the Chief of Defense Forces.

However, Gatluak Reat, a Jonglei state assembly member representing Uror County, independently confirmed the town’s fall to South Sudanese local press.

“The town has been overrun, and the whereabouts of the government commissioner are unknown,” Reat reportedly said.

“We have been unable to contact him since the fighting intensified.”

The assault on Yuai comes amid escalating clashes in the region, following the SPLA-IO’s capture of Waat in neighboring Nyirol County late last month.

With Yuai’s fall, the SSPDF’s military footprint in the three predominantly Lou Nuer counties—Nyirol, Uror, and Akobo—has been significantly reduced, leaving only isolated pockets in areas like Pading and Pulturuk.