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On Friday, the South Sudanese army ordered U.N. peacekeepers as
well as NGOs and civilians to vacate the town ahead of a planned
assault.
But the mission refused to leave and said it would provide “a
protective presence for civilians” in the town, adding that the
safety and security of its personnel “must be fully respected at
all times.”
The U.N. Mission said it was engaging “intensively with
national, state and local stakeholders” regarding this order.
“Any military operations in and around Akobo gravely endanger
the safety and security of civilians,” said mission chief Anita
Kiki Gbeho.
The South Sudanese government has been fighting opposition
forces since a 2018 peace deal broke down about a year ago.
A dramatic escalation took place in December 2025, when
opposition forces seized several government outposts in northern
Jonglei. A government counter-offensive repelled their forces a
month later and displaced over 280,000 people. Tens of thousands
have sought refuge in Akobo, where a small contingent of U.N.
peacekeepers is stationed.
Fearing the looming government assault on Akobo, humanitarian
workers were evacuated over the weekend, and a mass exodus of
the population has also begun.
Local officials contacted by the The Associated Press said
fleeing civilians faced danger and widespread shortages of
essential supplies. Dual Diew, the Akobo County health director,
who has fled to Ethiopia, said there were 84 wounded patients at
the hospital. “We have most of them with us here now,” he said,
adding that they lack medicine and basic nursing equipment.
Christophe Garnier, the leader of Doctors Without Borders in
South Sudan said the organization had to evacuate its staff from
Akobo on Saturday and learned of the subsequent looting of its
hospital and the ransacking of its office.
“People in Akobo must now either flee without protection or
remain at risk of being killed, while losing access to
healthcare and other essential services,” he said.
The three Western governments that have played a major role in
the peace process — the U.S, U.K., and Norway — sent a letter to
President Kiir on Monday urging that the army's evacuation order
be revoked and warning of “further deaths, displacement and
suffering for the South Sudanese people” if the offensive on
Akobo is implemented.
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