In a press statement issued this week, Dr. Deng Gach Pal, NAF’s Press Secretary, criticized both government forces and armed groups, expressing outrage over the White Army’s March attack on a South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) garrison in Nasir, as well as the retaliatory airstrikes allegedly carried out by Ugandan helicopter gunships in multiple locations.
“We unequivocally condemn the Nasir incident and the aerial bombardments in multiple counties,” said Dr. Pal.
“No official should label any people by ethnicity or region as ‘hostile.’ This risks igniting genocide.”
Warning Against Ethnic Profiling
NAF specifically condemned Hon. Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro, South Sudan’s Minister of Cabinet Affairs, for reportedly designating certain Upper Nile counties as ‘hostile’, a move NAF called unconstitutional and inflammatory.
“The Minister must issue a public apology to the Nuer people and the nation,” Pal demanded, cautioning that ethnic profiling undermines peace efforts and violates the principles of national unity.
Civilian Toll and International Law Violations
Prof. Julia Aker Duany, NAF’s Deputy Chairperson, decried the humanitarian impact of the escalating airstrikes, emphasizing the suffering of civilians, especially women and children.
“As citizens, we must speak out against wrongs and correct them,” she said. “Armed conflict destroys; peace and unity build a nation.”
Duany appealed to armed youth groups—including the White Army, Arrow Boys, Gelweng, Agwelek, and Abushok—to lay down their arms and pursue peaceful resolution.
Timeline of Escalating Attacks
Since March 2025, South Sudan has witnessed a surge in airstrikes, concentrated in Upper Nile and Jonglei, amid rising tensions between the SSPDF and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLA-IO), along with affiliated militias.
- March 3: The White Army overran an SSPDF barracks in Nasir.
- March 16: Joint SSPDF-UPDF airstrikes on Nasir’s airstrip killed 21 civilians.
- March 16: Airstrike on Mathiang village, Longechuk County, killed 1 and injured 8.
- March 18: Airstrikes hit roads near Akobo and Walgak, injuring civilians.
- March 21: Strike on Kuich, Ulang County, killed 1, wounded 12.
- May 3: Aerial bombardment hit Old Fangak Hospital, run by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), killing 7 people and injuring 20. The hospital’s pharmacy was destroyed, leaving the area without medical care.
MSF condemned the attack as a violation of international humanitarian law.
International Involvement and Warnings
The SPLM/A-IO accused Uganda of violating a UN arms embargo by providing military support to the SSPDF, an accusation Uganda denied. However, South Sudan’s government acknowledged Ugandan air support on March 17, citing a bilateral security agreement.
NAF is now calling on IGAD, the African Union, the United Nations, and TROIKA (the US, UK, and Norway) to urgently monitor early warning signs of ethnic-based violence and potential genocide.
“The Nuer people, like all 63 tribes of South Sudan, are committed to peace,” Pal concluded. “But continued violations and ethnic scapegoating risk dragging the country back into full-scale war.”
