Nadapal Attack: A Wake-Up Call for Governors Lobong and Adil
By Abraham Madit Majak
The attack on Nadapal should ring alarm bells across South Sudan’s political and security leadership. For the governments of Eastern Equatoria and Central Equatoria States, this incident is not just another security breach, it is a stark warning that armed groups are operating with growing confidence while state authority appears increasingly absent.
Governors Louis Lobong Lojore of Eastern Equatoria and Emmanuel Adil Anthony of Central Equatoria bear a constitutional and moral obligation to protect civilians and safeguard territorial integrity. The Nadapal incident, reportedly involving elements of the SPLA-IO, exposes a dangerous security vacuum and an alarming level of complacency that risks dragging the region back into instability.
Nadapal is not an ordinary town. It is a strategic border point linking South Sudan to Kenya and a critical economic lifeline for trade and regional cooperation. An attack there is not merely a local disturbance, it is a national security issue with serious regional implications. When armed groups can strike such a sensitive area, it signals weak governance, poor intelligence coordination, and a failure to assert state authority.
For years, communities in parts of Eastern and Central Equatoria have raised concerns about harassment, illegal taxation, ambushes, and intimidation by armed actors, including SPLA-IO and NAS elements. Too often, these complaints have been dismissed, politicized, or ignored altogether. The Nadapal attack confirms what many civilians have long warned: silence and inaction only embolden spoilers of peace.
The Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) is explicit—no armed group should operate outside unified and recognized command structures. Allowing parallel military forces to entrench themselves within state territories is a direct violation of the peace agreement and a threat to national unity. State governments cannot profess commitment to peace while tolerating armed rebellion in practice.
This moment demands more than official statements and routine condemnations. Governors Lobong and Adil must act decisively. That means strengthening coordination with national security organs, empowering local authorities, engaging communities for credible intelligence, and demonstrating clear political will to deny armed groups any space to regroup, recruit, or launch attacks.
The cost of continued inaction is high. Persistent insecurity disrupts trade, displaces civilians, undermines investor confidence, and erodes public trust in leadership. Worse still, it risks reopening wounds of conflict and inviting external interference in South Sudan’s internal affairs.
The people of Eastern and Central Equatoria deserve protection, stability, and leadership—not excuses. Nadapal should be the final warning. If state leaders fail to respond with urgency and resolve, history will not remember them as guardians of peace, but as passive observers of its collapse.
The time to act is now!
Opinions expressed in articles published by RSSVP are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of Rescue South Sudan Village People. RSSVP assumes no responsibility for the accuracy, validity, or reliability of claims made by contributors.
Author Bio
Abraham Madit Majak is a South Sudanese writer and political commentator with a strong focus on governance, peace processes, and civic accountability. He regularly contributes to public discourse on South Sudan’s political transition, the role of state institutions, and the responsibilities of leadership during critical reform and nation-building periods.
