South Sudan’s army has recaptured Nasir, a strategic town in Upper Nile state, from the ethnic Nuer White Army militia, amid growing tensions sparked by the house arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar.
The government lost control of Nasir in March during fierce clashes that escalated South Sudan’s fragile political climate.
The return of government forces, confirmed by military spokesperson Lul Ruai Koang, occurred without resistance, though heavy bombardment nearby reportedly left 17 dead in Thuluc village.
Army officials say the potential ambush in Thuluc was averted thanks to close air support. “They were spotted when they were grouping, and they were fired on, and then they dispersed,” Koang stated.
Honson Chuol James, a spokesperson for the White Army, downplayed the government’s success, saying, “We were just taking a tactical withdrawal.”
Machar, a former rebel leader and key figure in the 2018 peace deal with President Salva Kiir, has been placed under house arrest. He stands accused of backing the White Army and attempting to incite rebellion.
His SPLM-IO party denies the allegations, but the arrest has stoked fears of renewed ethnic conflict in the young nation.
Uganda has moved to stabilize the region, deploying troops to Juba and claiming to have killed 1,500 White Army fighters. President Yoweri Museveni visited Kiir recently, underscoring regional concern.
Meanwhile, Machar’s party shows signs of internal fracture. A splinter faction has declared him replaced, though his armed loyalists remain defiant.
The recapture of Nasir is a symbolic victory for the government, but with Machar’s fate uncertain and political loyalties shifting, the peace remains dangerously fragile.
