South Sudan’s military has announced the recapture of Nasir, a strategic town in Upper Nile State, which had been seized in March by an ethnic Nuer militia known as the White Army.
The clashes surrounding the loss of Nasir have contributed to escalating political instability, including the detention of First Vice President Riek Machar.
The incident has deepened tensions within the fragile power-sharing government formed after a 2018 peace agreement between President Salva Kiir and Machar, ending a brutal civil war that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.
Machar was placed under house arrest earlier this month over allegations that he attempted to incite a rebellion through his suspected support for the White Army in Upper Nile.
Although Machar’s party, the SPLM-IO, denies any connection to the militia, his detention has raised concerns both domestically and internationally about a possible resurgence of ethnically driven conflict.
According to military and militia spokespeople, Nasir was retaken by government forces on Sunday without resistance.
“We were just taking a tactical withdrawal,” said White Army spokesperson Honson Chuol James.
He added that 17 people were killed in the bombardment of the nearby village of Thuluc.
Army spokesperson Lul Ruai Koang stated that the military avoided an ambush in Thuluc with the help of air reconnaissance.
“They were spotted as they were gathering, fired upon, and then dispersed,” Koang said.
Amid these developments, Uganda has increased its involvement in the region.
President Yoweri Museveni visited President Kiir earlier this month after deploying Ugandan troops to help stabilize the capital, Juba, as tensions surged.
Uganda’s military chief, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba—Museveni’s son—claimed that Ugandan forces have since killed 1,500 White Army fighters, who had previously aligned with Machar’s forces during the civil war.
The SPLM-IO is also showing signs of internal fragmentation.
One faction within the party recently announced the temporary replacement of Machar as chairman, though the armed wing of the party has declared its continued loyalty to their detained leader.
As political uncertainty grows and ethnic divisions re-emerge, the situation in South Sudan remains precarious, with regional leaders and international observers urging restraint and dialogue to avoid a return to full-scale conflict.
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