Government forces in South Sudan say they have recaptured the town of Akobo from opposition fighters, marking the latest escalation in clashes that threaten to push the country back toward full-scale civil war. General Lul Ruai Koang, speaking in the capital Juba, said the town and nearby areas were now under the control of the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces. Before launching the offensive, the military ordered civilians, aid workers and United Nations agencies to evacuate the area due to the risk of heavy fighting. The renewed violence has triggered a humanitarian crisis, with an estimated 200,000 people fleeing across the border into Ethiopia in search of safety.
Akobo, located near the Ethiopian border in Jonglei State, has long been considered strategically important and has repeatedly changed hands during past conflicts between government forces and opposition groups. South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after decades of war. However, political rivalry between President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar plunged the country into a brutal civil war in 2013 that killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions.
A fragile peace agreement signed in 2018 between the two leaders formed a power-sharing government, but tensions have steadily risen since early 2025. Fighting has erupted in several regions, raising concerns among international observers that the peace deal is collapsing. Despite vast oil reserves, South Sudan remains one of the poorest countries in the world, struggling with widespread poverty, corruption and a severe humanitarian crisis worsened by years of conflict and political instability.
