Since March 2025, sub-national violence has flared up across South Sudan, with the border between Payinjiar County (Southern Unity State) and Lakes State becoming a flashpoint. Historically, this Nuer-Dinka border has been marred by cattle raids and killings, but the introduction of AK-47s has turned age-old conflicts into massacres.
A Night of Terror in Yirol West County
On the night of December 29, 2025, raiders stormed Wangool village in Aluakluak payam, Yirol West County. They abducted two women and a man, binding their hands with ropes and dragging them through the bush. The raiders, identified as Nuer by their language, stole twelve cows, money, and groundnuts from the village. As dawn broke, the captives realized they were being taken toward Payinjiar.
The abductors made their motives clear: ‘We will not give the Dinka people peace in the new year,’ they said, citing a gruesome rumor that their leader, Dr. Riek Machar, had been fed human flesh while detained in Juba. ‘This was an insult, and we will not stop fighting,’ the Nuer-raiders vowed.
A Name That Changed Everything
Things were looking grim, but a turning point came when one of the women, recognizing the futility of their situation, asked if the abductors knew John Malith, a name familiar from peacebuilding work in the region. The raiders hesitated, then questioned her: ‘The one from PAX?’
When she confirmed their relation, the abductors fell silent. For nearly an hour, they conferred in hushed tones, their Nuer language incomprehensible to the captives. Six times, they regrouped, each time replacing the guard holding the rope.
Finally, after eleven hours of forced march, the women were ordered to stop. Their ropes were untied, and they were told to flee without looking back. As they ran, a gunshot rang out. With shock they realized the third person abducted – who wasn’t set free despite the women’s pleas – had been killed.
The Fragile Power of Trust
It remains unclear what fate would have befallen the women had John Malith’s name not been mentioned. His long-standing presence in the region through peace dialogues, field visits, and community engagement since 2017 for which John was awarded the PAX Peace Price in 2023 may have been the only thing that stayed the raiders’ hands.
The incident underscores both the brutality of South Sudan’s conflicts and the fragile, fleeting power of trust. For years, we have worked with local people and organisations to bridge divides, but as violence escalates again, such efforts are at risk.
Both South Sudanese authorities and the international community should act to de-escalate tensions, disarm armed youth, and invest in sustainable peacebuilding. Because currently, life hangs in the balance—and sometimes, quite literally, on a name.
