(Reuters) – South Sudan’s military has announced the recapture of Nasir, a strategic town in Upper Nile State, which had fallen to an ethnic Nuer militia in March. The clashes surrounding the town’s takeover contributed to the house arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar and deepened a growing political crisis.
President Salva Kiir and Machar have shared power under a fragile unity government since a 2018 peace agreement ended a devastating civil war that killed hundreds of thousands. However, Machar’s recent detention—amid accusations of inciting rebellion through alleged support for the White Army militia—has sparked international fears of renewed ethnic conflict.
According to military and militia sources, the South Sudanese army retook Nasir on Sunday without resistance.
“We were just taking a tactical withdrawal,” said Honson Chuol James, a spokesperson for the White Army. He added that 17 people were killed during intense bombardments of the nearby village of Thuluc.
Army spokesperson Lul Ruai Koang stated that government forces managed to avoid an ambush in Thuluc due to effective aerial reconnaissance.
“They were spotted while regrouping, and they were fired upon, leading to their dispersal,” Koang said.
The rising tensions have drawn in regional actors. Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni visited Juba earlier this month, shortly after deploying Ugandan troops to secure the capital amid the political unrest. Uganda’s military chief, Muhoozi Kainerugaba—who is also Museveni’s son—claimed that Ugandan forces had since killed 1,500 White Army fighters. The militia had previously aligned with Machar’s forces during the civil war.
Meanwhile, Machar’s SPLM-IO party appears to be fracturing. Earlier this month, one faction claimed to have temporarily replaced him as party chairman, even as the group’s armed wing reaffirmed its loyalty to the detained leader.
