Nasir Commissioner Orders 72-Hour Evacuation of Civilians Ahead of SSPDF Operation

Nasir county (Courtesy)

Nasir/South Sudan, March 15, 2026

Savanna Radio News Bulletin

Nasir County Commissioner Hon. Changkuoth Ruon Jal has issued a stark 72-hour evacuation order to civilians in parts of Nasir County, in what observers say marks a serious escalation of the conflict in the area. In a press release seen by Savanna Radio on Sunday, the commissioner warned residents of Mandeang, Torkech, and the surrounding villages to vacate their homes within three days to “give way” for a planned South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) operation. Mandeang has long been known as a key stronghold and former headquarters of the SPLM/A-IO, making the announcement particularly alarming for civilians caught between rival forces.

“Staff of national and international organizations are advised to either relocate to Nasir town or any other areas they deem safer within the same window period,” the letter stated, raising fears of a broader security sweep that could disrupt critical humanitarian operations in the County. Humanitarian agencies already operating in and around Nasir warn that any large-scale displacement triggered by the order will compound an existing crisis of insecurity, food shortages, and limited access to basic services.

Rights advocates and local activists say the directive amounts to a grave violation of civilians’ rights and could expose non-combatants to collective punishment in an active conflict zone. Under international humanitarian law, parties to a conflict are obligated to distinguish between civilians and combatants and to refrain from forced displacement except for the security of the civilians themselves or for imperative military reasons, a threshold critics argue has not been clearly met in this case.

The evacuation order comes against a backdrop of repeated clashes between SSPDF forces, SPLM/A-IO elements and armed youth in Nasir and surrounding areas over the past two years, violence that has led to civilian deaths, mass displacement and accusations of abuses by all sides. Local leaders and civil society groups are urging regional and international guarantors of South Sudan’s peace agreements to intervene swiftly to prevent further bloodshed and to press all parties to respect civilian protection norms.

The order has grave humanitarian, legal, and political implications that are likely to deepen an already fragile situation in Nasir County.

• Large-scale displacement from Mandeang, Torkech and surrounding villages is likely, forcing civilians to flee on short notice without adequate shelter, food, or transport.

• The instruction for national and international aid staff to relocate will disrupt or suspend lifesaving services, similar to recent evacuation orders in Akobo East that cut support for over 200,000 people.

• Women, children and the elderly face heightened risks of hunger, disease, sexual violence, abduction and repeated displacement, as seen in other South Sudan evacuations.

• An evacuation “to give way” for an SSPDF operation near an opposition-linked former headquarters raises a strong risk that civilians and their property could be treated as legitimate targets or “collateral damage.”

• Forcing civilians out of their homes for military operations, without clear, imperative military necessity and robust safeguards, may breach international humanitarian law on forced displacement and civilian protection.

• Past SSPDF operations in Nasir and Akobo areas have been associated with attacks on markets and residential areas, suggesting a real danger of further abuses if this offensive proceeds.

Impact on humanitarian access

• Ordering aid agencies to leave creates de facto denial of humanitarian access to conflict-affected communities in SPLM/A-IO–controlled or contested areas.

• Suspension of operations will likely halt food distributions, health services and protection programmes at precisely the moment when needs spike due to displacement and fighting.

• It could also set a precedent for similar “clean-sweep” orders in other opposition-held or contested zones, shrinking humanitarian space nationally.

Political and security implications

• Targeting an area known as a former SPLM/A-IO headquarters risks being seen as collective punishment of communities perceived as aligned with the opposition, further polarizing local populations.

• Renewed confrontation between SSPDF forces, local armed youth and IO elements in Nasir could derail already fragile ceasefire and peace arrangements referenced by regional and international actors.

• Large cross-border flight into Ethiopia, as seen recently in Akobo, could create new regional security and refugee management challenges.