South Sudanese Army Orders UN and NGO's to Evacuate Ahead of a Major Offensive

South Sudan’s military has moved from rhetorical escalation to operational preparation, ordering civilians, aid groups, and United Nations personnel to leave opposition-held areas of Jonglei State ahead of a planned offensive.

On Sunday, the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) directed all NGOs and UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) staff in Nyirol, Uror, and Akobo counties to evacuate within 48 hours, while instructing civilians to relocate immediately to government controlled zones. The order precedes what the army described as “Operation Enduring Peace” against forces aligned with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO).

In a video statement, SSPDF spokesperson Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang said: “All NGOs and UNMISS personnel operating and working in Nyirol, Uror and Akobo counties are given 48 hours to leave.”

He added that civilians must move for their own safety and warned that “armed civilians found loitering in and around SPLA-IO barracks, assembly areas, and rally grounds would be considered as legitimate military targets.”

Koang also ordered armed civilians to surrender weapons at the nearest SSPDF garrison and move with their families and livestock.

“Spare No-One” Rhetoric

The evacuation order follows incendiary language from senior commanders. South Sudan’s deputy army chief, Gen. Johnson Oluny, was recorded addressing his Agwelek militia before deployment to Jonglei, saying: “Spare no one - the elderly, children, birds or leave no house standing.” The United Nations said it was “gravely concerned”, condemning the incitement against civilians, including children and the elderly.

On Jan. 25, 2026, United Nations Mission for South Sudan (UNMISS) said more than 180,000 people had recently been displaced in Jonglei by escalating fighting.

Inflammatory rhetoric calling for violence against civilians, including the most vulnerable, is utterly abhorrent and must stop now.

UN Officer in Charge Graham Maitland

He added that while South Sudan’s leaders continue to reiterate their commitment to peace, “hostilities and violations of the ceasefire continue unabated,” urging a return to consensus based decision making and power-sharing under the peace agreement.

Earlier, on Jan. 17, UNMISS had already called for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Jonglei and Eastern Equatoria.

The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan echoed the alarm.

Language that calls for the killing of those who are hors de combat and civilians, including the elderly, with assertions that ‘no one should be spared’,is not only shocking, it is profoundly dangerous.

UN CHRSS Chair Yasmin Sooka

The commission warned that the situation is heightening the risk of mass violence against civilians, with witnesses describing people fleeing into swamps.

Peace Deals Under Strain

The current escalation sits atop unresolved political fractures dating back more than a decade. South Sudan gained independence in 2011, but civil war erupted in December 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused then Vice President Riek Machar of plotting a coup. A 2018 peace agreement ended a conflict that killed nearly 400,000 people, followed by another deal in 2022, yet implementation has stalled and trust between the rivals has eroded.

In recent weeks, forces aligned with Machar have captured several areas. Last February, the White Army, a militia largely drawn from Machar’s Nuer ethnic group, seized a town in Upper Nile State, prompting the detention of several generals and ministers linked to the SPLA-IO.

Machar himself and other figures now face charges including murder, treason, crimes against humanity, conspiracy, financing terrorist activities, destroying public and military property, and inciting violence in Nasir County.

Opposition forces last week threatened to march on Juba, signaling a broader confrontation. An UNMISS spokesperson told Reuters that peacekeepers in Akobo remain in place “carrying out all efforts under our mandate to help de-escalate tensions and prevent conflict,” though it remains unclear whether UN staff are still present in the other two counties.

Taken together, the 48-hour evacuation order, explicit targeting warnings, and inflammatory battlefield rhetoric mark a sharp deterioration in South Sudan’s fragile security environment, placing civilians, aid operations, and the remnants of the 2018 power-sharing framework under acute strain.