UN mission rejects order to evacuate base in South Sudan
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said on 9 March it would not comply with a government order to close its base in the South Sudanese town of Akobo, the Associated Press reported.
South Sudan’s army had ordered U.N. peacekeepers, humanitarian organisations and civilians to leave the opposition-held town in Jonglei state, near the Ethiopian border. The directive came before a planned offensive targeting areas held by forces loyal to opposition leader Riek Machar.
However, the mission said it would stay in Akobo to maintain “a protective presence for civilians” and called for the “safety and security” of its personnel to be respected.
UNMISS said it was discussing the order with national, state and local authorities and mission chief Anita Kiki Gbeho warned that any military operation in or around Akobo would place civilians at serious risk.
The town hosts a U.N. base and has previously served as a refuge for tens of thousands of displaced people who fled renewed fighting between government and opposition forces in parts of South Sudan.
Thousands of residents have since fled Akobo after authorities ordered evacuations ahead of the planned assault near the Ethiopian border. Local authorities warned that civilians and hospital patients remaining in the town faced serious risks if fighting reached the area.
Most humanitarian workers have already been evacuated by United Nations flights in recent days. Doctors Without Borders said it withdrew staff from its hospital in Akobo because of security concerns and reported that the facility had been looted.
The violence comes as clashes have escalated in Jonglei state in recent months.
The fighting intensified after the collapse of a peace agreement that had reduced violence following South Sudan’s civil war. In December 2025 opposition fighters seized several military outposts in Jonglei state, prompting a government counteroffensive.
The escalation displaced about 280,000 people, according to the United Nations.
The Associated Press, Maghrebi.org
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