Mayom, Unity State — Tension briefly resurfaced in South Sudan’s oil-rich Unity State on Wednesday when a short-lived confrontation broke out between government and opposition forces in Kaikang village, days after deadly fighting in the disputed Abyei area.
According to opposition officials, a unit of the SPLA-IO’s VIP Protection Force, retreating from Abyei, was fired upon by local security forces in Mayom County. The group had been moving toward its base in Kaljak when the misunderstanding occurred.
Kerbino Yai Pazale, SPLA-IO spokesperson for Sector Two, said his men were ambushed while resting.
“The attack lasted only a few minutes. Our forces did not return fire, but if the attacks persist, we will respond,” Pazale told Radio Tamazuj.
Government officials downplayed the report. Unity State Information Minister Gatwech Bipal Bol said there had been no major confrontation, describing it instead as a dispute “between armed youth.”
Eyewitness Michael Yang supported reports of a brief incident but stressed it was resolved quickly.
“The security personnel didn’t know the group’s identity and opened fire by mistake,” he said. “When they realized these were SPLA-IO soldiers from Abyei, they allowed them to continue their journey.”
Yang said the group was escorting wounded soldiers from the recent Abyei battles and confirmed that no casualties were recorded in Mayom. Calm has since returned to the area.
The SPLA-IO contingent is expected to rejoin its colleagues at the Kaljak training centre, which forms part of the country’s ongoing unified-forces integration process.
Last week’s fighting in Abyei left at least 14 people dead, rekindling fears of renewed violence as South Sudan struggles to implement its 2018 peace agreement and unify rival military factions.
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