In a horrific incident underscoring the brutal realities of South Sudan’s ongoing conflict, more than a dozen civilians were systematically executed after being deceived by government-allied militia fighters promising humanitarian food aid. The attack occurred Saturday morning in the remote village of Pankor, located within the conflict-ravaged Jonglei State approximately 400 kilometers north of the capital, Juba.
According to two survivors who spoke anonymously for fear of reprisal, several dozen armed combatants arrived in pickup trucks and used loudspeakers to announce a registration drive for food assistance. Trusting the promise of aid in a region facing severe food insecurity, villagers gathered in a traditional cattle enclosure known as a ‘luak.’
The situation turned from hope to horror as the fighters bound the hands of multiple men before opening fire on the entire group. Survivors reported 22 fatalities with additional injuries, while government-appointed Ayod County Commissioner James Chuol Jiek confirmed at least 16 deaths, predominantly women and children. Graphic photographs obtained by The Associated Press, too disturbing for publication, showed victims shot at close range with their hands tied behind their backs.
Commissioner Jiek identified the perpetrators as members of the Agwelek militia, a Shilluk ethnic force that operates alongside the national army despite not being fully integrated. He claimed the fighters acted without their commander’s knowledge, characterizing the massacre as retaliatory violence for attacks by Nuer militias on Shilluk villages in 2022. Jiek stated several officers had been arrested and 150 fighters disarmed, while vehemently denying the aid registration was used as a lure, calling this narrative ‘an opposition lie.’
The incident occurs against a backdrop of intensified violence in northern Jonglei, an opposition stronghold where UN estimates indicate approximately 280,000 people have been displaced since December. The region faces compounded crises including armed clashes, aerial bombardments, and extreme flooding that have left over half of Ayod County’s population experiencing severe food insecurity. Aid organizations have repeatedly warned that access restrictions to opposition-held territories are endangering civilian lives.
This massacre follows international condemnation of Agwelek militia commander Lt. Gen. Johnson Olony, who was filmed in January explicitly ordering his forces to kill civilians without mercy during operations in Jonglei. Although Olony has since apologized for his remarks, opposition officials continue to characterize government actions in Nuer-majority areas as genocidal in intent.