South Sudan’s main armed opposition group, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO), says its forces have captured a military position belonging to the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) in Bari village, about 15 kilometres southeast of Mundri town in Western Equatoria State.
In a statement issued on Monday, October 12, the opposition said its fighters from Division 9A launched an attack at approximately 5:30 a.m. and overran the government forces’ barracks in Bari, the headquarters of Bari Boma in Kokoti Payam, Mundri West County.
The forces are reportedly operating under the command of former Western Equatoria State governor Alfred Futuyo Karaba, whom the opposition identifies as its Sector Six commander.
The SPLA-IO also said Futuyo had ordered attacks on government military positions across Western Equatoria State and called for efforts to prevent elections from taking place in the state.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that wounded soldiers were transported to Mundri town following the clashes, while residents reported hearing heavy gunfire from the direction of Bari.
The number of casualties and the number of soldiers involved in the fighting remain unclear. It has also not been independently established whether government forces have fully withdrawn from the area or are preparing a counterattack.
