South Sudan launches offensive against opposition forces: What to know

"In a statement on Sunday, army spokesman Lul Ruai Koang said Operation Enduring Peace would commence as he ordered civilians to evacuate three counties in Jonglei state immediately. He directed aid groups to leave within 48 hours. Koang told The Associated Press news agency on Monday that the operation aims to recapture towns recently seized by opposition forces and re-establish law and order."

"However, this came days after a senior army commander was filmed urging his troops to kill civilians and destroy property in the Jonglei offensive, drawing rebuke from the United Nations and others. It is now indisputable: South Sudan has returned to war, said Alan Boswell, the International Crisis Group's project director for the Horn of Africa. It is incredibly tragic for a country that only grows weaker and poorer."

"Beginning in December, a coalition of opposition forces seized a string of government outposts in central Jonglei, a region that is the homeland of the Nuer ethnic group and an opposition stronghold. Some of those forces are loyal to opposition leader Riek Machar, while others consider themselves part of an ethnic Nuer militia called the White Army. White Army fighters have historically fought alongside Machar but consider themselves a distinct group. Machar, an ethnic Nuer, was made the most senior of five vice presidents under a 2018 peace agreement that ended fighting between his forces and those loyal to Pr"

The South Sudanese army announced Operation Enduring Peace in Jonglei state and ordered civilians to evacuate three counties immediately, directing aid groups to leave within 48 hours. The operation aims to recapture towns recently seized by opposition forces and re-establish law and order after recent territorial losses. A senior army commander was filmed urging troops to kill civilians and destroy property, prompting rebuke from the United Nations and others and raising fears of mass violence. Opposition forces seized multiple government outposts beginning in December, including fighters loyal to Riek Machar and ethnic Nuer White Army militias. The Information Minister characterized the actions as stopping opposition advancement rather than a declaration of war.

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