By Emmanuel Garjiek
South Sudan\u2019s army announced it has captured the strategic town of Akobo from opposition forces, describing the move as the fall of the last major SPLA-IO stronghold in the Lou Nuer areas of Jonglei State.
Akobo, located near the Ethiopian border, had remained under SPLA-IO control since the outbreak of civil war in December 2013. The town became the opposition\u2019s final base in the Lou Nuer region after government forces seized positions in Nyirol and Uror counties late last year.
At a press conference in Juba, SSPDF spokesman Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang said government troops entered Akobo on Tuesday following clashes in nearby areas.
\u201cOn the 10th, our gallant forces recaptured Akobo town without resistance from the rebels,\u201d Koang told reporters.
He confirmed that 13 soldiers were killed and 20 wounded during the fighting, while about 50 SPLA-IO fighters were \u201cneutralized.\u201d Koang added that the town was largely deserted, with its market looted and hospital ransacked.
The army said civilians, humanitarian agencies, and U.N. staff had been ordered to evacuate Akobo on March 6 ahead of the offensive. With the town now under government control, Koang urged aid organizations to return and resume operations, and called on displaced residents \u2014 including those who fled across the Pibor River into Ethiopia \u2014 to come back.
\u201cAkobo is safe and the surrounding areas are safe, and therefore they should start returning back to Akobo within the shortest time possible,\u201d Koang said.
He denied allegations that civilians were targeted, insisting government forces only engaged armed opposition fighters. Koang also confirmed that James Kueth, a former Akobo commissioner removed in January, has been reinstated.
SPLA-IO officials in Akobo could not immediately be reached for comment and attempts to contact local sources were unsuccessful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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