Standoff with ex-spy chief resolved: Official

A senior party official has said the conflict between South Sudan’s government and former spy chief General Akol Koor Kuc has been peacefully resolved.

The gunfire, which lasted over an hour, erupted around 7pm on Thursday near the Nimule Resort Hotel in the Thongping district, where former intelligence chief General Akol Koor Kuc’s residence is located.

Peter Lam Both, secretary general of the ruling party SPLM, told Radio Tamazuj that the situation in the capital had been de-escalated. “I would like to inform the public that the conflict between General Akol Koor and the government has now been resolved peacefully.”

“Gen. Akol has been relocated to his home with his family without any problems. We thank SPLM Chairman President General Salva Kiir Mayardit for resolving this situation without further escalation,” Lam added.

After negotiations, he said, General Koor agreed to move with his family to another residence in the Jebel suburb as part of efforts to ease tensions.

A security source who preferred anonymity told Radio Tamazuj that while Gen. Koor was offered other options to relocate in Juba, he chose the Jebel residence where he will be accompanied by at least five security guards.

“Gen. Akol was moved from Thongpiny neighborhood because it has many foreign missions and embassies and the deployment of heavy security forces has been irritating; that’s why the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was informed about this issue,” he said.

Despite the decision, some observers remain skeptical of the long-term effectiveness of this move.

South Sudanese analyst Ter Manyang suggested that simply moving General Koor does not solve the underlying problems. He argued that a more sustainable solution would involve assigning General Koor a new role in government.

Akol Koor Kuc, who served as head of the NSS since South Sudan’s independence from Sudan in 2011, was abruptly dismissed by President Salva Kiir in early October.

Analysts suggest his dismissal reflects a high-stakes power struggle at the top levels of the transitional government.

Kiir replaced Koor with a close ally, further consolidating control amid heightened political uncertainty.