Official: RSF incursion into South Sudan causes panic and displacement

 

The governor of Western Bahr El-Ghazal State said that Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters have repeatedly intruded into South Sudan, causing panic and displacement among local residents.

 

 

 

 

Governor Emmanuel Brimo Okello has revealed these incursions during a security meeting last week, noting that the unauthorized movements of the armed group pose a threat to national security amid the escalating conflict in neighboring Sudan.

 

 

 

“People are coming to Wau because this group is moving in and out of the country without sovereign permission,” Okello said, citing reports from local officials. “This undermines our sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the security and safety of our people.”

 

 

Okello accused members of the militia, which has been at war with the Sudanese army since April 2023, of entering the Bor-Medina area of Raja County carrying weapons.

 

 

 

He added, “Last month, this group arrived, and the commissioner had to call to ask if we had granted them permission to enter armed.”

 

 

He explained that he had contacted the leadership, who confirmed that there was no official authorization for such armed movements into the country.

 

 

The governor noted that President Salva Kiir Mayardit had issued instructions to keep the border open to civilians fleeing the conflict, but stressed that any armed movements must be under the control of the army.

 

 

For his part, Maj. Gen. Jiel Mangok Jiel, the regional commander of the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces, acknowledged receiving reports of these incursions, describing the conflict in Sudan as “an inevitable reality.”

 

 

Although Maj. Gen. Jiel did not explicitly confirm the identity of the armed group as the Rapid Support Forces, he indicated that the army was monitoring the border and that “the situation is under control.”

 

 

The governor’s statements are consistent with previous warnings by President Kiir about the escalating risk of the Sudanese conflict spilling across the border, threatening stability in the region.