Renewed volatility along tri-border corridor
Two days of skirmishes have reshaped the security map southwest of Yei, South Sudan, after the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition announced the capture of Lasu and Libogo, settlements lying barely 25 kilometres from the Ugandan and Congolese frontiers.
Voices from the ground
Phone calls from Yei crackled with reports of sustained gunfire, prompting families to flee towards church compounds and banana groves for shelter. “The shots did not stop for an hour,” recalled trader Mary Sembu, whose stall now stands deserted amid thick silence.
Government soldiers in the vicinity declined on-record interviews, yet an army source insisted the situation is “under control,” adding that regular forces were regrouping on Yei’s outskirts to “protect civilians and reopen the Maridi road.”
Political undertones and peace deal strain
Analysts link the flare-up to March’s brief detention of First Vice President Riek Machar, a development that rattled the 2018 Revitalised Agreement and deepened mistrust between SPLA-IO and the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces, despite ongoing joint training of unified units (Crisis Group).
Humanitarian fallout and regional implications
Aid agencies warn that fresh displacement could swell Yei County’s caseload beyond 80,000, complicating deliveries that already rely on sporadic airlifts because seasonal rains have rendered feeder roads impassable, while cross-border commerce with DRC and Uganda risks further contraction.
Humanitarian coordinator Ayaa Benjamin called for “unfettered passage to Lasu,” noting that crops are in the fields and any delay may trigger food gaps extending across the greater Equatoria corridor.
Diplomatic options ahead
Regional mediators from IGAD are urging both commands to reactivate the Ceasefire Monitoring Mechanism and allow disengagement talks in Juba within days. Observers argue that rapid verification, coupled with humanitarian corridors, remains essential to prevent the Yei triangle from sliding back into full-scale war.