A government-appointed county commissioner in South Sudan’s Jonglei State was killed Sunday by opposition forces, marking an escalation in recent violence in the region, officials confirmed.
James Kueth Makuach, the government-appointed commissioner for Akobo West, was killed during an assault on Walgak, a remote area within the Akobo county, according to statements from both government and opposition officials.
Makuach had defected to President Salva Kiir’s ruling party in April after being removed from his position by the opposition’s acting leadership earlier this year. He was subsequently appointed commissioner by the ruling party, a move that appears to disregard the 2018 peace agreement assigning the Akobo County position to Riek Machar’s opposition party.
The ruling party issued a statement condemning the killing and announced an emergency session to address the incident. The opposition-appointed governor of Jonglei State, John Wiyual Lul, stated that opposition fighters briefly controlled the area before withdrawing as government reinforcements arrived. Senior army officers were reportedly among those killed.
Unclear casualty figures have been reported, with Jonglei State government spokesperson Nyamar Lony Thichiot telling The Associated Press that precise numbers remained unknown. The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission, tasked with overseeing South Sudan's peace process, warned that the renewed hostilities undermine the 2018 peace deal that ended the civil war and endanger civilians.
Akobo County has been a focal point for conflict, experiencing fighting since March when opposition forces attacked a government base. In June, the United Nations withdrew its peacekeepers from a local base established to protect civilians.
Civil society activists have expressed concern over the resurgence of political tensions manifesting in the conflict. Bol Deng Bol, a Juba-based activist, described the events as an "unfortunate relapse into violence and a clear threat to civilians, their property and humanitarian operations." Another activist, Edmond Yakani, urged both the government and the opposition to uphold the permanent ceasefire.
South Sudan is preparing for long-delayed elections, scheduled for December 22, which will be the first since the nation gained independence from Sudan in 2011.