Arrival of Army Chief Gen. Paul Nang in Nasir town (Photo: Radio Tamazuj)
NASIR, South Sudan, April 22, 2025 — Gen. Paul Nang Majok, chief of defense forces for South Sudan, visited Nasir on Monday, a day after government troops regained control of the strategic town near the Ethiopian border from the White Army, a loosely organized group of armed Nuer youths.
The visit came amid heightened tensions between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar, whose forces Kiir’s allies accuse of backing the White Army to destabilize the region.
White Army fighters overran a South Sudan People’s Defense Forces base in Nasir on March 4, killing a senior general and several soldiers. The army recaptured the town Sunday under the command of Gen. Kong Thou.
Gen. Majok toured the area alongside Gen. Thou; assistant chief of defense forces for disarmament, Gen. Johnson Olony; and other senior military officials. Speaking to soldiers stationed in Nasir, Majok hailed them as “heroic and courageous,” commending their role in retaking the town.
“The president of the republic and the commander in chief has sent his greetings,” Majok said. “We lost Gen. David Majur Dak, we lost our forces and our base — but now, you have managed to enter Nasir. You have given a big gift to the people of South Sudan.”
Majok said the White Army had been “wiped out” and vowed to pursue the remaining fighters. He urged former SPLA combatants to disarm and join cantonment sites in line with the security arrangements under the 2018 peace agreement.
He called the White Army a “terrorist organization and outlaws,” and appealed to local residents to return weapons seized from government troops.
“We want our artillery, vehicles and other weapons back,” he said, while urging community leaders to support the return of displaced civilians.
The 2018 peace deal between Kiir and Machar is under severe strain following a surge in violence. Machar was placed under house arrest March 26. The United Nations reports nearly 200 people killed and 125,000 displaced since March.
Human Rights Watch has accused the army of using improvised incendiary weapons in Upper Nile state, killing nearly 60 people over the past month.
