The opposition SPLA-IO announced on Saturday that its forces had taken 23 prisoners of war, including high-ranking officers and women, during recent combat in the Pajut area of Jonglei State.
Brig. Gen. Marial Gatluak of the SPLA-IO informed the media that among the detainees are a brigadier from the national police service and a colonel from the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF).
He explained that the captures occurred after SPLA-IO troops seized Pajut, a payam located in Duk County close to Uror County.
“The prisoners are secure and receiving treatment in line with legal standards,” Gatluak stated, stressing that the SPLA-IO’s conflict targets the government, not ordinary civilians.
He named the captured SSPDF colonel as Tut Teny Pan and appealed to relatives of the detainees not to worry, assuring them that all individuals who survived the battle are alive and in SPLA-IO custody.
Gatluak also addressed Lou Nuer spiritual leader Dak Kueth, reportedly sheltering in Duk County, urging him to return to Uror County so that youth loyal to him can safely go back to their communities.
One of the detained police officers, Brig. Deng Jok Dut from the government’s joint operations forces, confirmed in a recorded message that he is uninjured and expressed gratitude to his SPLA-IO captors for preserving his life.
“Some claim the SPLA-IO kills people, but that is false,” Deng said. “Upon my capture, they provided me with food and water.”
Another detainee, Second Lt. Sudan Mawich of the National Security Service (NSS), recounted fleeing into nearby vegetation during the clash before being taken.
He affirmed that all prisoners are safe and have faced no mistreatment.
“We are all alive. No one has been tortured, and conditions are good,” Mawich stated.
Col. Tut Teny Pan, who serves with SSPDF Division 8 based in Yuai, reported that he sustained injuries in Friday’s fighting in Pajut before being apprehended by SPLA-IO forces.
“I am currently with the SPLA-IO and wounded,” he said. “My appeal is for our country to pursue peace and progress. This conflict is not rooted in tribal divisions; it stems from differing views on national governance between two sides.”
The prisoner captures came in the wake of early Friday clashes between SSPDF and SPLA-IO units in Pajut, situated between Uror and Duk counties in Jonglei State.
On Friday, the SPLA-IO declared it had gained control of Pajut. The Kit-Gwang faction, led by Gen. Simon Gatwech, said that the area was taken by a coalition of opposition groups.
Pajut had emerged as a major assembly point for government forces after the SPLA-IO overran Uror County from the SSPDF on January 2, with certain units reportedly relocating there to organize a potential counterstrike.
The SSPDF has so far made no public statement regarding the loss of its personnel in Pajut.
