Five soldiers killed in SPLA-IO clashes in Leer
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Radio Tamazuj
At least five soldiers were killed and nine others injured in clashes between rival SPLA-IO factions in Adok Payam, Leer County. The fighting is part of the opposition movement’s split between Nathaniel Oyet and Regina Joseph Kaba, Radio Tamazuj reports.
At least five soldiers were killed and nine others injured on Friday in clashes between rival factions of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in Opposition (SPLA-IO) in Adok Payam, Leer County, South Sudan, according to Radio Tamazuj. The two sides are divided over Nathaniel Oyet, the movement’s deputy leader and acting military chief, and Regina Joseph Kaba, appointed acting chairperson on 31 August 2026. James Yoach Bading, the SPLA-IO military commissioner in Leer and a supporter of Oyet, said two of his soldiers had been killed and five wounded when Kaba’s faction attacked their positions. Dhoal Koryom Lingling, a rival military administrator in Leer, reported three deaths and four injuries in the opposing faction.
Regina Joseph Kaba’s appointment was endorsed on 3 September by the SPLA-IO military command, splitting the movement between the two acting leaders. At a court hearing on Monday, 2 November, former South Sudanese vice-president Riek Machar, who has been detained since March 2025, confirmed that Kaba was the legitimate acting chairperson, according to Radio Tamazuj. This position comes after Riek Machar denied ordering the Nasir attack, in a report published on 28 October.
