
Yambio — The SPLA-IO strongly refutes the false claims made by the SSPDF regarding the implementation of the presidential order to dismantle checkpoints in Western Equatoria State. The directive was unequivocal: remove all illegal checkpoints, not launch unprovoked attacks on SPLA-IO forces stationed in designated cantonment areas. However, rather than complying with this order, the SSPDF has escalated hostilities against our forces. .
The SPLA-IO Sector 6 Commander in Kubur Boo received no prior notification of SSPDF movements in the area. No official communication was provided by the SSPDF command regarding their presence or intentions. Instead, our forces were subjected to a heavy, unprovoked attack, with SSPDF troops unleashing machine gunfire on our positions—a clear and deliberate breach of the peace agreement.
As it stands, over 20 illegal checkpoints remain manned by SSPDF forces across Western Equatoria State. If the SSPDF were genuinely committed to implementing the presidential order, they would have begun by dismantling these checkpoints, starting with their headquarters in Yambio. Instead, their actions reveal a hidden agenda: launching an offensive against SPLA-IO forces in Kubur Boo to undermine peace and stability.
During their assault, SSPDF troops looted civilian properties, ransacked the Duma Payam PCC, and seized all medical supplies from the facility. These reckless acts of aggression had no connection to the removal of checkpoints but instead constituted direct attacks on SPLA-IO forces and the local population. Any driver in the region can confirm that SSPDF checkpoints are still in place, exposing the so-called implementation of the presidential directive as nothing more than a smokescreen for military aggression.
The motive behind this attack is now evident: the SSPDF Division Commander has declared war on SPLA-IO forces and deployed James Nando to Kubur Boo as part of an offensive strategy. This blatant violation of the peace agreement cannot go unanswered.
We call upon peace guarantors to urgently intervene and hold the SSPDF command in Juba accountable for these grave violations. The continued attacks on SPLA-IO forces, the looting of civilian property, and reckless military aggression must cease immediately. If the SSPDF is sincere about pursuing peace, they must stop hostilities, dismantle all illegal checkpoints, and honor the agreements in place.