SPLA-IO forces attack national security base in Kapoeta
Last Updated on September 28, 2025 by Turkana County News Online
A South Sudanese soldier guards the airport in Malakal, Jan. 21, 2014. (File: Reuters)
September 25, 2025 KAPOETA/TORIT
Assailants affiliated with the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO) attacked a National Security Service base in South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria State early on Thursday, wounding several officers before fleeing, senior officials said.
Eastern Equatoria Governor Louis Lobong said the attack occurred in the town of Kapoeta around 4 a.m. He identified the attackers as members of the SPLA-IO.
“I just wanted to say this to the public … this morning at around 4:00 a.m., a group of criminals associated with the IO raided the office of national security in Kapoeta. They opened fire on the building,” Lobong told reporters in the state capital, Torit.
He said the group then fired toward a military barracks, and security forces who pursued them were ambushed near the Singata River.
“These people opened fire at them. They managed to shoot and wound about five officers. Some of these officers are in critical condition,” Lobong said, adding that the wounded were taken to Kapoeta Civil Hospital. He said authorities were pursuing around nine suspects.
The shooting caused panic in the town, but Lobong said the situation had since returned to normal.
