march 18, 2025: South Sudan's escalating conflict took a deadly turn as an airstrike by the country’s airforce killed at least 19 people in the eastern region, near the Ethiopian border. The attack occurred in Nasir, a volatile area where government forces and the White Army, an ethnic militia, have been engaged in fierce clashes. Residents reported that the airstrike happened late Sunday night, contradicting the government’s statement that the bombing took place on Monday morning.

The renewed violence comes less than two weeks after government troops withdrew from Nasir following intense fighting with the White Army, a loosely organized militia composed mainly of ethnic Nuer youths. The group, which previously fought alongside First Vice President Riek Machar’s forces during the 2013-2018 civil war, has been accused by the government of collaborating with Machar’s party once again. However, Machar’s party has denied any involvement in the recent clashes.

The airstrike left devastation in its wake, with local community leader Kang Wan reporting that 15 people died instantly, while others later succumbed to their injuries. Another resident confirmed seeing 16 bodies, with three more pronounced dead later. “All of them got burned, everything got burned,” Wan told Reuters. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) reported that its hospital in nearby Ulang received three wounded individuals from Nasir, two of whom were declared dead on arrival due to severe burns.

The attack is suspected to be a retaliation for the March 7 incident, in which a South Sudanese general and around 27 soldiers were killed when a U.N. helicopter attempting to evacuate them from Nasir came under fire. Nasir County Commissioner James Gatluak Lew, an ally of Machar, suggested that the government forces were seeking revenge for the deadly assault on their troops.

Amid rising tensions, Uganda recently confirmed the deployment of special forces to South Sudan’s capital, Juba, to “secure it.” While the South Sudanese government initially denied the presence of Ugandan troops, Information Minister Michael Makuei later admitted that Ugandan army units were in the country to support the national forces as needed.

With violence once again gripping South Sudan, concerns are growing over the possibility of a wider conflict that could plunge the country back into the horrors of its previous civil war. The situation remains tense as fears mount over further escalation in the region.