South Sudan on the Brink as Kiir Blames Machar for Deadly Military Attack

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit has broken his silence following a deadly assault on a military base in Nasir County, Upper Nile State, which claimed the life of General Majur Dak Thel and several soldiers.

The attack, carried out on March 4, has escalated tensions in the country, with Kiir accusing First Vice President Riek Machar’s forces of orchestrating the assault despite earlier assurances of peace.

"On February 28, Dr. Riek Machar requested a meeting to address this tension. We met on March 3, and he assured all parties that he would intervene.

However, the attack on March 4 clearly shows otherwise," Kiir said in a statement issued on March 7.

According to the president, Thel and his troops resisted but were eventually overwhelmed. Negotiations for their surrender failed, with Thel refusing to lay down arms even when personally urged by Machar.

In a dramatic turn of events, the United Nations attempted to evacuate the besieged soldiers, but their helicopters came under fire from Machar’s forces.

A second evacuation effort on March 7 ended in disaster when a UN helicopter crash-landed in Malakal, killing Thel and his officers. Only a pilot and a crew member survived.

Kiir assured South Sudanese citizens that his government was handling the crisis and warned against retaliatory violence.

"I have said it time and again—our country will not go back to war. Let no one take the law into their own hands," he declared.