NAS capture SSPDF base in Lobonok after VP Igga-backed offensive linked to personal gold mining project
Revolutionary forces of the National Salvation Front/Army (NAS) seized the South Sudan Peoples’ Defence Forces headquarters at Longoyo-Lobonok in the early hours of Wednesday morning, following an SSPDF offensive that the NAS leadership says was orchestrated by Vice President James Wani Igga to clear the area for a private gold mining venture.
The NAS military spokesperson, Lt. Col. Kenyi Mogga Lomeling, announced in a press release issued on 7 May 2026 that more than twelve bodies of government soldiers were found during the ground search of the captured base, along with fourteen AK-47 rifles, all recovered in good working condition.
NAS lost three soldiers and had two wounded in the retaliatory assault. A further soldier had been killed and one wounded when SSPDF forces launched the initial attack two days earlier.
Vice President Igga’s Visit Preceded the Attack
According to the NAS leadership, the sequence of events began when Vice President James Wani Igga arrived in Lobonok Payam accompanied by a significant deployment of government forces. The NAS statement says the visit was presented as a routine return to his home village, but was intended to position military force capable of displacing NAS troops from the area.
“This latest incident happened as a result of Vice President James Wani Igga coming to Lobonok with many government forces in the pretence of a normal visit to his home village, but, in reality, he brought those forces to fight and push NAS Forces away, to secure his proposed gold mining project in the area,” the statement read.
Government forces then attacked the NAS position at Paya area on the morning of 5 May, killing one NAS soldier and wounding another. NAS says its forces repulsed the attack and defended their base.
Zone-4 Launches Pre-Dawn Counterattack
In response to the 5 May assault, the Command of NAS Zone-4 dispatched a force that struck the SSPDF headquarters at Longoyo-Lobonok at 05:00am on 7 May 2026. The NAS statement described the attack as a “retaliatory surprise attack” carried out with minimal resistance, saying SSPDF soldiers “ran in disarray” as NAS forces captured the position.
The subsequent ground search of the base yielded twelve confirmed SSPDF bodies and fourteen AK-47 rifles, all functional.
Three NAS soldiers were killed and two wounded during the operation and the seizure of Longoyo Base. Total NAS losses across both engagements stand at four soldiers killed — whom the leadership has honoured as “Martyrs” — and three wounded.
NAS Issues Warnings on Road Safety and Gold Mining
The NAS leadership used the press release to issue two direct warnings. It cautioned residents of Lobonok Payam to avoid using the road connecting the area to Juba City “for their safety” until the security situation is resolved.
It also put on notice any commercial entity engaged in gold mining arrangements with the Juba government: “NAS warns any business company that involves in such devious deals of gold mining with the kleptocrats of President [Kiir] to immediately hold back.”
The statement congratulated the Command and forces of Zone-4 and extended condolences to the families of the four soldiers killed in the engagements, while wishing a swift recovery to the three wounded.
Context…
Lobonok Payam lies south of Juba and has long been within the operational area of NAS Zone-4 in the Equatoria region. NAS forces have maintained a presence there as part of the movement’s broader commitment to protecting communities in areas the Juba regime has failed to govern justly or secure.
What happened on 5 May was not a routine security operation. A sitting Vice President arrived in a community accompanied by a heavy military deployment – not to serve his people, but to clear the ground for a private gold extraction deal. This is how the Juba regime operates: public office converted into personal profit, and the national army deployed as the enforcement arm of elite business interests. James Wani Igga used soldiers – men paid from the public purse – to attack a movement that stands between his mining ambitions and the people of Lobonok.
This is not an isolated incident. The Sentry and other investigators have documented extensively how South Sudan’s ruling elite routinely direct SSPDF forces to secure resource-rich zones for commercial exploitation – oil fields, timber concessions, and now gold. The soldiers who attacked NAS at Paya on 5 May were not defending South Sudan. They were protecting a Vice President’s business interests.
The Juba regime has not explained the operation, no acknowledgement of its casualties, and no comment on the role of Vice President Igga. The silence speaks for itself.
