JUBA, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF) said Tuesday it has retaken another rebel-controlled territory in Jonglei State following recent threats by opposition forces to march on the capital.
SSPDF spokesperson Lul Ruai Koang said that they killed five soldiers of the opposition Sudan People's Liberation Army-in-Opposition and captured a cache of ammunition before the fall of Motot town, located in Jonglei.
"During the battle for control of Motot, five rebels were neutralized, four RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenade launchers were seized along with a large cache of ammunition, two 60-mm mortars, one G-3 and several shells," Koang said in a statement issued in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.
He noted that the army chief recently visited the Yuai and Motot areas after they were retaken from the opposition in a bid to boost the morale of the soldiers, adding that he is also closely monitoring offensive operations in the state.
The fighting between the two forces has displaced an estimated 260,000 people across Jonglei following renewed fighting and airstrikes since Dec. 29, 2025, according to the South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said last week that families fleeing violence are sheltering in the open, under trees or in makeshift structures, with little or no access to food, healthcare, or protection services, and are largely dependent on already overstretched host communities. ■
