South Sudan: SSPDF Takes Control of Akobo Town

South Sudan’s army (SSPDF) on Sunday deployed troops in the town of Akobo in Jonglei state, days after announcing it had recaptured the area from opposition forces, several sources said. Akobo County, near the border with Ethiopia, is considered a strategic area. It had been the last remaining stronghold of the opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO) in the Lou Nuer areas following the capture of bases in Nyirol and Uror counties. The development marks the first time the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) have regained control of Akobo since the civil war erupted in December 2013. Multiple sources told Radio Tamazuj that SSPDF soldiers entered the town on Sunday with vehicles and military equipment and began patrolling the area after residents fled to neighbouring Ethiopia. There were reports of fighting on Saturday morning before government troops were seen fully deployed in the town on Sunday, the sources said. (Radio Tamazuj)