Gen. Santino leads SSPDF meeting to tackle Greater Upper Nile insecurity

Mon 2026-07-20

JUBA – South Sudan’s Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Santino Deng Wol Chok, has convened a consultative meeting with senior military officers from the Nuer community to discuss ways of improving security in conflict-affected areas of Jonglei, Upper Nile and Unity states, as fighting continues to destabilise the Greater Upper Nile region.

The one-day meeting, held at the SSPDF General Headquarters in Bilpam on Saturday, comes amid heightened insecurity in northern Jonglei, where renewed clashes between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) have intensified in recent weeks.

Earlier this month, the SPLA-IO recaptured Walgak Payam in Akobo County after heavy fighting with government forces, during which Akobo County Commissioner James Kueth Makuach was killed, marking one of the most significant setbacks for the SSPDF in Jonglei since the latest escalation of violence.

According to a statement issued by SSPDF spokesperson Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang, Gen. Santino chaired the meeting with “senior servicemen/servicewomen hailing from the Nuer community” to deliberate on practical measures for restoring stability.

“The main agenda was brainstorming and exchanging views on the practical and realistic ways of stabilising the security situation in fragile parts of Northern Jonglei, eastern Upper Nile and Northwestern Unity States,” the statement said.

The military said the discussions focused on finding locally informed solutions to persistent insecurity that has fuelled displacement, disrupted livelihoods and hindered development across the Greater Upper Nile region.

In his opening remarks, Gen. Santino described the prolonged conflict as a major obstacle to peace and development, saying repeated violence had deprived communities of essential public services.

“Recurrent conflicts derived from larger parts of the Greater Upper Nile Region, the much-needed infrastructural developments, health care and educational services, fractured the social fabric and held back socio-economic growth,” the army chief said, according to the statement.

The SSPDF said participants agreed with the army chief’s assessment of the security situation and pledged to support efforts aimed at reducing violence and strengthening relations among communities.

“The attendees promised to partake in many positive ways that would foster better security, strengthen inter-communal linkages among other measures deemed appropriate to deepen social cohesion,” the statement added.

The consultative meeting reflects growing concern within the military over the deteriorating security situation in northern Jonglei and neighbouring parts of Upper Nile and Unity states, where government forces and the SPLA-IO have been engaged in intermittent fighting despite the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement.

The latest violence around Walgak has heightened fears of a broader escalation in the Greater Upper Nile region, raising concerns over civilian safety and the implementation of South Sudan’s fragile peace process as the country prepares for its first general elections scheduled for December.

sudanspost.com