JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — A massive civilian evacuation is underway in eastern South Sudan as thousands of residents abandon the town of Akobo following a military ultimatum that preceded a planned government assault, authorities reported Sunday.
The mass departure from Akobo, situated close to the Ethiopian border, commenced Saturday evening after government forces issued their evacuation directive.
“The town is now almost empty,” said Nhial Lew, a local official in charge of humanitarian affairs. “Women, children and the elderly have left and crossed into Ethiopia.”
Despite the government setting Monday afternoon as the evacuation deadline, armed conflict has already erupted west of Akobo starting Saturday.
“We are hearing the sound of machine guns approaching,” Lew said on Sunday evening.
On Friday, the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces commanded the U.N. Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to shut down its Akobo facility.
Aid organizations and local residents received orders to leave “in order to avoid unnecessary collateral damage,” as government forces prepare their military campaign against “Akobo and surrounding areas,” military spokesperson Lul Ruai Koang announced in an official statement.
The town represents one of the final territorial strongholds controlled by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO), the faction headed by detained Vice President Riek Machar.
The 2018 peace agreement between Machar and President Salva Kiir has virtually disintegrated since hostilities resumed between their respective forces last year.
Military clashes have escalated significantly in northern Jonglei since December, when opposition fighters seized government military positions. Government forces launched a counterattack that forced over 280,000 residents from their homes within weeks.
Akobo, positioned in South Sudan’s far eastern region and controlled by opposition forces since the 2013 civil war outbreak, had been considered a relatively secure sanctuary. A small U.N. peacekeeping presence attracted more than 82,000 displaced individuals seeking safety in and around the community.
UNMISS has not yet issued an official response to the government’s base closure directive.
Two United Nations aircraft transported most humanitarian personnel out of the area Sunday. The International Committee of the Red Cross operates a surgical facility at Akobo County Hospital, where multiple injured patients were receiving care. ICRC personnel had not yet been evacuated.
However, the threat of an imminent attack on Akobo has created anxiety among local medical officials.
“We are worried for our patients at the hospital,” said Dual Diew, the Akobo County health director. “We tried to make a plan to take them to a safer location, but we don’t have enough fuel.”
Saturday saw Akobo residents organize protests against the military ultimatum, with demonstrators marching to the U.N. facility demanding peace and protection.
