A boat journeys along the White Nile, a vital artery of life and transport in South Sudan - courtesy of Austerio Alonso

JUBA, South Sudan (Eye Radio) – Nasir County authorities in Upper Nile State accuse SPLA-IO forces of extortion on the Sobat River, claiming the group is blocking civilian boats belonging to Nasir traders and demanding ransoms as high as $4,000.

Nasir County Commissioner James Gatwech Joak told Eye Radio on Monday, October, 20, 2025, that several boats traveling from Matar of Nasir County to Malakal were stopped in Yakuach, Nyirol County of Jonglei State.

He said the boats were held by SPLA-IO forces, who are reportedly demanding excessive tax payments.

According to Commissioner Gatwech, the traders had already paid taxes to SPLA-IO forces in Mandeng of Nasir County, who allowed them to continue their journey.

However, upon reaching Yakuach, in Nyirol County of Jonglei State, another group of SPLA-IO soldiers detained the boats, jailed the boat drivers and traders for four days, and demanded an additional 4,000 US dollars.

They reportedly said more payments would be required at the Payam level, raising the total amount demanded to over 5,000 US dollars.

The Commissioner says among those affected are patients seeking treatment in Malakal, as well as women and children — all currently stranded in Yakuach due to the detention.

“Yakuach [Nyoril County of Jonglei State] is the area under control of I.O. So, they detained those boats. Today, I recieved a message from Malakal that they have released one boat.

“They don’t want any boat to go into Malakal, because they say that the people in Malakal, they may get a gain for those boats. When the boats go, we’ll take money from that boat. They damand a lot of money because they know that these boats will never pay those of money,” he said.

Commissioner Gatwech is calling on SPLA-IO leadership to intervene and stop their forces from obstructing civilian movement and trade on the river.

Eye Radio could not independently verify the claims made by the local authorities. Meanwhile, the SPLA-IO is yet to respond to the allegations.