A view of Torit County Headquarters in Eastern Equatoria State. [Photo: Courtesy]

TORIT – At least 10 soldiers of the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) were killed during a coordinated dawn attack on military bases in Torit, the capital of Eastern Equatoria State, according to a joint statement issued Tuesday by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLA-IO) and the National Salvation Front (NAS). 

The two opposition groups said their fighters launched a “precision operation” targeting the SSPDF’s Division Seven headquarters (Giyada), government forces stationed in Gumbo, and a checkpoint along the Torit–Juba road. The joint command claimed the attack resulted in 10 SSPDF fatalities and “a significant number” of wounded government troops.

“This morning, the Joint Forces of NAS and SPLA-IO executed a successful military operation against the SSPDF in Torit,” the groups said in a statement signed by SPLA-IO Spokesperson Col. Lam Paul Gabriel and NAS Spokesperson Lt. Col. Kenyi Mogga Lomeling.

They described the assault as their second coordinated operation in Eastern Equatoria, following a previous offensive in Kapoeta South.

But the government has painted a different picture of the events. Earlier on Tuesday, Eastern Equatoria State Governor Louis Lobong said the attack began around 5:00 AM when armed SPLA-IO fighters stormed Torit and targeted the Torit Military Hospital.

He reported a separate assault launched from Enyif in which assailants opened fire on the vehicle of the Torit County Commissioner, killing a police captain. Lobong linked the incidents to a series of what he called “continued hostilities” by SPLA-IO forces across the state.

The Governor also attributed a November 17 ambush on a passenger vehicle travelling from Kapoeta to Napotpot—where one civilian was injured—to SPLA-IO elements.

The rebel groups flatly denied the governor’s assertions, insisting they do not target civilians and that the Torit raid was strictly directed at military installations.

“Contrary to his statement, there have been no attacks targeting civilians in Eastern Equatoria by either NAS or SPLA-IO,” the opposition forces said, accusing SSPDF troops, instead, of harassing farmers and businesswomen transporting goods to Juba.

They said those abuses, allegedly driven by hunger and indiscipline among the national army, undermine the government’s own claims of maintaining peace and stability.

The joint forces said they remain committed to “protecting the people of Eastern Equatoria” while defending themselves from what they called government aggression.

The latest escalation adds to a tense security environment in Eastern Equatoria, where accusations and counter-accusations between government and opposition forces have persisted despite ongoing peace arrangements. Sudans Post