At least 13 soldiers have been killed following renewed clashes between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) in Mayom County, Unity State, in the latest flare-up threatening the country’s fragile peace.
According to a statement issued on Sunday, October 19, 2025, SPLA-IO Spokesperson Col. Lam Paul Gabriel said the fighting broke out at around 5:00 a.m. in Chotchar village, Rubkona County, after SSPDF troops allegedly attacked an SPLA-IO VIP Protection Unit.
“The SPLM-IG forces continued with their act of terrorism by attacking the SPLA-IO VIP Protection Force in Chotchar village this morning,” the statement read.
Col. Lam said the SPLA-IO fighters repelled the assault, killing 12 government soldiers, including their field commander Maj. Gatluak Duop Nyir, while one SPLA-IO fighter died and two others sustained gunshot wounds.
The SPLA-IO further dismissed reports on social media suggesting Maj. Gatluak was one of their officers, asserting that he served under the SSPDF.
“It is unfortunate that the SPLM-IG denied him after he died defending their tribal and political agenda,” the SPLA-IO spokesperson claimed, adding that Maj. Gatluak’s body was found in a police uniform.
Repeated attempts by Prime Africa News to reach SSPDF Spokesperson Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang for comment were unsuccessful.
The deadly confrontation comes just days after a similar incident in Kaikang village, Mayom County, where SPLA-IO forces reportedly came under attack by SSPDF troops while travelling from the Abyei Administrative Area.
SPLA-IO Sector Two Spokesperson Kerbino Yai Pazale said the Kaikang skirmish erupted when their soldiers were ambushed while resting under trees, further escalating tensions between the two rival factions.
The clashes underscore persistent mistrust between forces aligned with President Salva Kiir’s SPLM-in-Government (SPLM-IG) and those loyal to First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, despite both being signatories to the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement. The accord calls for the unification of all armed groups into a single national army — a process that has faced long delays and frequent setbacks.
While independent verification of the latest casualties remains difficult due to restricted access, the incidents highlight the fragility of South Sudan’s peace process and ongoing challenges to achieving full security sector reforms in the war-torn nation.
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