Thousands of civilians in South Sudan flee opposition-held town after army's evacuation order

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — Thousands of civilians have fled an opposition-held town in eastern South Sudan following an evacuation order issued by the army to pave the way for a military operation, officials said Sunday.

The exodus from Akobo, near the border with Ethiopia, began on Saturday night.

“The town is now almost empty," said Nhial Lew, a local official in charge of humanitarian affairs. "Women, children and the elderly have left and crossed into Ethiopia.”

While the government’s deadline to evacuate was supposed to expire on Monday afternoon, fighting has been reported west of Akobo since Saturday.

“We are hearing the sound of machine guns approaching,” Lew said on Sunday evening.

The national army, called the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces, ordered the U.N. Mission in South Sudan, or UNMISS, to close its Akobo base on Friday.

Nongovernmental organizations and civilians were also asked to evacuate “in order to avoid unnecessary collateral damage,” as the government prepares a military assault targeting “Akobo and surrounding areas,” according to a statement by military spokesperson Lul Ruai Koang.

Akobo is one of the last strongholds of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition, or SPLM-IO, led by Riek Machar, South Sudan’s detained vice president.

A 2018 peace deal between Machar and President Salva Kiir has nearly collapsed since fighting resumed between their forces last year.

Confrontations have dramatically increased in the northern part of Jonglei since December, when opposition forces captured government outposts. They were repelled by a government counteroffensive that displaced more than 280,000 people in a few weeks.

The town of Akobo, located in the far east of South Sudan and under opposition control since the civil war that erupted in 2013, was seen as a relatively safe haven. The presence of a small contingent of U.N. peacekeepers has led more than 82,000 displaced people to seek refuge in and around Akobo.

UNMISS hasn't officially responded to the government’s order to shut down its base.

Two U.N. flights evacuated most humanitarian workers on Sunday. The International Committee of the Red Cross runs a surgical unit at the Akobo County Hospital, where several wounded patients were being treated. The ICRC hadn't yet evacuated its staff.

But fear of an imminent assault on Akobo has local health authorities concerned.

“We are worried for our patients at the hospital," said Dual Diew, the Akobo County health director. "We tried to make a plan to take them to a safer location, but we don’t have enough fuel.”

On Saturday, civilians in Akobo demonstrated against the army’s ultimatum and marched toward the U.N. base calling for peace and protection.