Describes events through 31 March 2014
The situation in Jonglei has changed rapidly over the last three months of SPLA and rebel clashes. Fighting has taken place along multiple fronts, but the Juba-Bor road, linking the national capital with the Nuer-controlled rebel heartland, has seen the brunt of battle. Territorial control has swung back and forth between SPLA and rebel hands, with incremental gains for the SPLA over time, largely thanks to support from the Ugandan People’s Defense Forces (UPDF). The conflict has been increasingly marked by targeted and indiscriminate ethnic violence, prompting mass civilian displacement and defections. While the rebels have lost some territory in southern Jonglei in the last few weeks, they have managed to secure support from various Nuer communities in Jonglei. The evolution of the conflict from a two-party war to one that has incorporated tribal and ethnic dimensions is similar to dynamics seen in Upper Nile and Unity states.