The Nuer White Army Should March to Juba to Free Riek Machar, not Malakal!!!

September 8, 2025

By Jwothab Othow

The governor of Upper Nile state has issued a warning regarding the Nuer White Army, led by spiritual leader Makuach Tut Khor, who is reportedly advancing to attack Malakal, the state’s capital. Radio Tamazuj reported that the White Army, along with forces from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition SPLA-IO loyal to Riek Machar and under the command of Makuach Tut Khor, are involved. This same Nuer White Army, under Makuach Tut Khor’s leadership, was responsible for the ethnic cleansing of Collo civilians in the Collo Kingdom in 2022. Currently, Makuach Tut Khor is preparing to move through Pigi County to attack Malakal.

It’s perplexing why the government would negotiate with Makuach Tut Khor, given his history of criminal acts and atrocities in Upper Nile State, particularly in the Collo Kingdom in 2022, where the White Army killed hundreds of Collo civilians and abducted children, who have yet to be returned. The Nuer White Army, led spiritually by Makuach Tut Khor, needs to understand that Dr. Riek Machar is under house arrest in Juba, not detained in Malakal. This army must be stopped because it consistently targets and kills Collo civilians, as they did in 2013. In 2013, after the Presidential Guard’s Tiger Division killed Nuer people in Juba, the White Army sought revenge, targeting Collo civilians in Malakal and killing hundreds in 2014. They are attempting the same now, viewing Malakal as a legitimate target. If the Nuer White Army wants to free their leaders, Dr. Machar and Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, they should go to Juba, not attack Malakal.

Why does the White Army repeatedly target Malakal, as they did in 2014 and 2022, when their issue is with the government in Juba? Sadly, the White Army and SPLA-IO forces have made Malakal a battleground. Makuach Tut, the White Army’s spiritual leader, is now demanding the release of Riek Machar and Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam to halt his advance on Pigi County and Malakal. Reports suggest that Jonglei’s governor, Dr. Riek Gai Kok, planned to meet with Makuach Tut for talks, but he is unwilling, instead of advancing towards Pigi, intending to attack Malakal and potentially target Collo civilians in the POC as revenge for Agwelek’s involvement in the Nasir war. The notorious Nuer White Army’s spiritual leader, Makuach Tut, intends to attack the PoC in Malakal, targeting the Shilluk civilians. This could spread to Kodok and the rest of the Shilluk Kingdom if they don’t protect their people and prevent a repeat of the 2022 events. Both the Nuer White Army and SPLA-IO forces are aiming at Shilluk civilians in the PoC in Malakal, necessitating serious precautions to protect them.

In 2022, President Kiir ignored Makuach Tut’s forces when they attacked Shilluk civilians, resulting in a massacre and the abduction of children, who have yet to be returned. It appears President Kiir is allowing Makuach Tut to commit similar atrocities. It is unclear if the Upper Nile state government is taking sufficient measures to protect the vulnerable Shilluk civilians in the PoC, who are potential targets of the Nuer White Army. The state government must deploy enough military forces in Malakal to prevent the Nuer White Army from entering. Furthermore, the Shilluk people themselves seem to be underestimating the situation. Recently, the Agwelek forces took over four hundred Shilluk youth and deployed them elsewhere to fight Kiir’s war against the SPLM-IO, leaving the Shilluk Kingdom vulnerable to another invasion by the Nuer White Army, mirroring the events of 2022. Recently, Agwelek recruited hundreds of Collo youth, supposedly to defend their land against a feared 2022 invasion by the Nuer White Army. However, after receiving guns from Agwelek in Wau-Shilluk, this youth were deployed elsewhere in South Sudan, not to their home areas.

Initially, Agwelek’s purpose was to protect Collo interests, but it has been turned it into a private military force, similar to Wagner or Blackwater, using it for personal gain and as a security force for Juba’s regime against the SPLM-IO. It’s evident that Agwelek is now a private militia funded by Juba as a counterinsurgency force. The Agwelek’s leadership has forced Collo’s youth into fighting a war irrelevant to their interests. The situation is now worse because Agwelek is part of the SSPDF and may not act independently against the Nuer White Army, who is threatening Malakal. The Agwelek has received orders from the SSPDF’s defense minister. Collo can no longer rely on Agwelek, which is now under Juba’s control. The same Agwelek was present during the 2022 massacre of Collo civilians by the Nuer White Army and did nothing. The question is: what can Collo do if the government and Nuer leaders fail to stop the so-called spiritual leader Makuach Tut Khor and the Nuer White Army from potentially carrying out another massacre in Malakal? Is the Collo community taking this matter seriously and precautions in case the situation escalate, because we don’t want a repeat of the 2022 massacre of Collo civilians by the Nuer White Army?

The power struggle between Kiir and Machar is intensifying in Upper Nile state once more. We remember the 2014 violence against Collo civilians in Malakal, and the recent 2022 killings of innocent Collo civilians by the SPLA-IO/White Army. This could easily happen again if the Collo don’t take action. Kiir and Gen. Chol are trying to leave Collo civilians defenseless against the White Army, weakening and defeating them. This is Kiir’s main goal, supported by his Defense Minister, Chol Thon Balok. Kiir wants to weaken the Collo and defeat them, a strategy similar to his actions against the Nuer. I’m worried that Kiir’s regime and its tribal militias, like the Padang Dinka Mathloum from Akoka and Abu Shoq from Baliet, can’t be trusted.

We shouldn’t forget the betrayal of 2015, when Kiir’s government and its militias betrayed Agwelek, leading to General James Bwogo’s death and the killing of other Agwelek officers in Upper Nile by a Padang militia. We must also remember that Agwelek was allied with Kiir’s government in 2015, when the betrayal happened. In 2022, Agwelek had already made peace with the government and was with the SSPDF in Wau Shilluk. But when the White Army invaded Piny Collo, Kiir’s government didn’t intervene until hundreds of Collo civilians were killed. Later, the government pretended to fight the White Army without bombing them, and the White Army retreated after massacring hundreds of Collo civilians and abducting hundreds of Collo children, who are still missing. Can the Collo truly trust Kiir’s government and his Padang Dinka militia to avoid another betrayal and ensure the Collo’s safety?

It’s widely believed that President Kiir and General Chol see Agwelek as a threat to the Padang Dinka, especially given their unresolved land disputes with the Collo. The Collo’s current suffering and humiliation are a consequence of their involvement in General Olony’s plan, where they were manipulated for his personal gain. They are now paying the price for allowing themselves to be used and exploited by his private army. This harsh reality may be difficult for many to accept. Ultimately, it is President Kiir’s regime that benefits from the violence, using it to maintain power. This regime profits from the violence that is killing youth and destroying Collo communities. We all remember the atrocities committed against Collo civilians in Malakal in 2014, and more recently in 2022, by the SPLA-IO and White Army. The SPLA-IO and White Army have targeted and killed Collo civilians to avenge the deaths of their relatives in Juba in 2013. Personally, I distrust President Kiir and Defense Minister Chol Thon Balok, suspecting they might intentionally delay action or orders to Agwelek to combat the Nuer White Army, as they did in 2022. The threat to Collo civilians in Malakal is very real, and the Collo cannot ignore the potential for harm from the notorious Nuer White Army, considering their past actions against Collo civilians in 2014 and 2022. Therefore, the Collo must treat the threat of a Nuer White Army attack on Malakal with utmost seriousness. May God protect our vulnerable Collo civilians in Malakal and the rest of Collo Kingdom. The author, Jwothab Othow, an activist, is a critic of South Sudan’s authoritarian regime.