The low light of morning over Jonglei State brushes the flat plains and riverbeds with a muted glow, as if the day itself pauses before resuming its steady, cyclical flow. In places like Motot — a small town where cattle paths meet lesser‑traveled roads — life often unfolds in rhythms tied to the sun and seasons, rather than the hurried cadence of distant capitals. Yet in recent weeks, that everyday cadence has been punctuated by the staccato motion of distant gunfire and the rumble of vehicles cutting through red dust, a reminder that peace, however hoped for, sometimes lies close to the surface of burdened fields and unsettled skies.
South Sudan’s army, known as the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF), has said it regained control of Motot after clashes with the Sudan People’s Liberation Army‑in‑Opposition (SPLA‑IO). The town, nestled in Uror County amid Jonglei’s broad expanses, had been contested in a conflict that has seen tides of territorial possession shift among government and opposition forces. In the early days of the year, combat in several parts of Jonglei — including Motot — underscored the fragile hold that any single authority has over these plains, where access to roads and settlements often determines not only military posture but civilian life.
For months, fighting in Jonglei and neighbouring counties has reflected broader tensions in South Sudan’s fragile peace, long punctuated by political disputes and intermittent violence despite the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan. In recent weeks, the SSPDF has launched what it calls Operation Enduring Peace, urging civilians and humanitarian personnel to evacuate areas where battles have taken shape, and asserting control over paths once held by the SPLA‑IO. These operations have sometimes compelled families and aid workers alike to rethink where the ground feels stable and where it does not.
The retaking of Motot comes amid an intensification of fighting that has drawn international concern. Separately, reports have emerged of clashes between government and opposition forces in other parts of Jonglei and across much of eastern South Sudan, with military offensives compelling leaders to issue evacuation orders to protect civilians from harm. In response to these developments, United Nations peacekeepers and humanitarian organisations have been called upon repeatedly to urge restraint, protect noncombatants, and help restore calm to areas where displacement and fear have grown over months of insecurity.
Walking the roads that lead out of Motot, one can hear echoes of recent battles from afar: the distant clatter of vehicle movements, the intermittent hum of voices raised in coordination, and the slower, softer movements of those who once tilled fields or tended livestock but now find themselves observers of a different kind of motion. Farmers eye their cattle with thoughtful concern, parents watch children play where roads meet thornbush, and merchants close their stalls at dusk, mindful of the uncertain quiet that follows each day’s fading light. In these vignettes — neither triumph nor despair but a quiet persistence — the town’s retaking becomes part of a larger story woven from both hope and hardship.
In straight, calm language: The SSPDF has announced it captured Motot town in Uror County of Jonglei State following clashes with the SPLA‑IO. Government forces say they killed several opposition fighters and seized weapons and ammunition in the operations around Motot, which comes amid an ongoing offensive in South Sudan’s eastern regions. The broader context includes renewed fighting between the SSPDF and SPLA‑IO in multiple areas, prompting evacuation orders for civilians and calls from the United Nations for cessation of hostilities and protection of civilians.
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Sources (Media Names Only)
Sudans Post Xinhua Reuters Radio Tamazuj United Nations Peacekeeping