South Sudan’s army says it has deployed troops in Akobo and taken full control of the strategic border town after days of fighting and a recapture push that has shifted the balance of power in Jonglei state.
According to Medafrica Times, the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces entered Akobo on 2026-03-15 after earlier announcing in March that it had recaptured the area from opposition forces. The town, near the Ethiopian border, had been the last stronghold of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition in the Lou Nuer region after the fall of bases in Nyirol and Uror counties.
The report said this was the first time the SSPDF had regained authority over Akobo since the civil war began in December 2013. Fighting reportedly took place on Saturday morning before government troops moved in with vehicles and military equipment. Residents are said to have fled to neighbouring Ethiopia ahead of the deployment.
Video shared on social media and reviewed by Radio Tamazuj reportedly showed SSPDF troops patrolling the town and establishing a security presence. That visual confirmation matters because it supports the report’s central claim: the army was not just announcing success from afar but visibly occupying and controlling the town.
The report also said SSPDF officers met with United Nations mission officials in Akobo to discuss security and stability. If accurate, that suggests the military is now trying to do more than dislodge opposition fighters; it is also trying to manage the immediate transition to civilian life after years of conflict.
Local civilian messaging in the report reflected that broader challenge. The government-appointed Akobo County Commissioner, James Kueth Makuach, urged civilians to keep firearms at home, move freely without fear and ignore anyone who defied the order. He also encouraged people who had fled to return voluntarily and asked community leaders, teachers, traders, women, faith groups and humanitarian organizations to help restore normal life.
At the same time, the SPLM-IO-appointed commissioner, John Wiyual Lul, addressed the Lou Nuer community on the Ethiopian side and called for peace and unity. The presence of competing administrative voices shows that Akobo’s control is not only a military question but also a political and social one.
What the report makes clear is that Akobo has become a symbolic and practical prize. It sits near an international border, has changed hands in a long conflict and now appears to be under government control again. The question after the military deployment is whether that control can be held and translated into security, civilian administration and basic services for people who fled when the fighting returned.
