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JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN - MARCH 13, 2025: Eight soldiers affiliated with the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) were airlifted to Juba after fleeing intense clashes between the White Army and SSPDF in Nasir County, Upper Nile State. The soldiers expressed regret, stating that politicians had used them to fuel the conflict for unknown purposes. The soldiers who managed to escape the conflict zone were only a few of the many SSPDF troops displaced during the fighting in Nasir County. One of the survivors, Major Michael Chieruai, stated that he had been shot in his left hand and described the hardships they faced during the clashes. He said they were forced to surrender their weapons to ensure their safety and that some soldiers died along the way due to water shortages. Chieruai warned the South Sudanese people and SSPDF against turning the conflict into an ethnic war. He stated that of the 40 soldiers who managed to reach the town of Kouang, where they were given protection by the leader of the White Army, only four survived, while the others were either killed or succumbed to dehydration. Speaking to journalists upon their arrival in Juba, SSPDF spokesperson Major General Lul Ruai Koang said that soldiers who were forced out of their barracks in Nasir fled in different directions, with most seeking refuge in villages in Ulang County, while some received protection from elements of the White Army in Nasir. Clashes in Nasir over the past month have resulted in numerous casualties, including the killing of an SSPDF commander. The violence has led South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s administration to arrest allies of opposition leader Riek Machar Teny. Those detained include Petroleum Minister Puot Kang, Nasir MP Gatwech Lam Puoch, and several senior officials. (Footage by Lino Ginaba/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)