South Sudan Villagers Lured and Killed Under False Aid Promise, Survivors Report
Fighters allied with South Sudan's government have been accused of killing more than a dozen civilians, predominantly women and children, in a brutal attack in conflict-ravaged Jonglei State. The incident occurred in Ayod County, approximately 250 miles north of the capital Juba, with survivors describing a deceptive ploy involving promises of humanitarian food aid.
Deceptive Lure Leads to Massacre
According to two survivors who spoke anonymously due to fears of retaliation, several dozen fighters arrived in pickup trucks in the village of Pankor on Saturday morning. Using a loudspeaker, they announced they had come to register residents for food assistance, a critical need in a region grappling with severe food insecurity.
"They gathered them in a luak," said one witness, referring to a traditional mud hut used for cattle. "People were thinking they would get aid or some help." Instead, the fighters bound the hands of several men and opened fire on the group. The survivors reported 22 fatalities with multiple injuries, while the government-appointed county commissioner confirmed 16 deaths. The Associated Press could not independently verify the exact numbers.
Graphic Evidence and Conflicting Accounts
Photos shared with the AP by an opposition representative, too graphic for publication, showed bodies of women and young men, some with hands bound behind their backs, appearing to have been shot at close range. James Chuol Jiek, the government-appointed county commissioner of Ayod, acknowledged the killings but disputed the aid registration narrative, calling it "an opposition lie."
Jiek identified the gunmen as belonging to the Agwelek militia, a force drawn from the Shilluk ethnic group that remains partially integrated into the national army but has been involved in recent military operations. He claimed the fighters left their barracks overnight without their commander's knowledge, stating the killings were revenge for attacks by a Nuer militia on Shilluk villages in 2022, which resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties and abductions.
Condemnation and Arrests Amid Ongoing Conflict
The county commissioner condemned the killings, reporting that several officers had been arrested and 150 fighters from the involved battalion disarmed. This incident follows a January controversy where Agwelek militia commander Lt. Gen. Johnson Olony was filmed ordering his forces to kill civilians in Jonglei state, remarks that drew widespread rebuke from the United Nations and others. Olony has since apologized.
Ayod County, located in northern Jonglei state—an opposition stronghold—has been a flashpoint in renewed fighting, with the U.N. estimating 280,000 displacements since December. Armed clashes, aerial bombardments, and years of extreme flooding have left over half the county's population facing severe food insecurity. Aid groups warn that access restrictions to opposition-held areas are endangering civilian lives.
Ethnic Tensions and Accusations
Residents of northern Jonglei are overwhelmingly from the Nuer ethnic group of suspended vice president and opposition leader Riek Machar. Opposition officials have repeatedly labeled government actions in Nuer areas as "genocidal," with Reath Tang Muoch, a senior SPLM-IO official, calling Olony's earlier remarks "an early indicator of genocidal intent."
Makuach Muot, 34, who traveled to Pankor for the funerals of eight relatives, noted that most villagers had fled fighting months earlier, leaving behind mainly elderly people and young children. Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang could not be reached for comment, highlighting the challenges in verifying events in this volatile region.
