Salva Kiir’s Regime and its Military Involvement in Sudan: Pilot Ohed’s Death a Stark Example
By Lam Deng Nut Chol
In a dangerous development that reflects the South Sudanese government’s involvement in the bloody conflict in Sudan, South Sudanese pilot Samson Ohed was killed in an airstrike targeting the Kenyan aircraft he was piloting while carrying out a military support mission for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Darfur. The incident, which occurred in Nyala, reopens the issue of Juba’s covert support for specific forces in the Sudanese conflict.
The plane Ohed was on was privately contracted to deliver supplies to Nyala, an area under the control of the Rapid Support Forces.
Local sources in Juba confirmed that the plane was bombed by Sudanese warplanes while unloading its cargo at Nyala Airport, killing Ohed and several other crew members.
It is likely that the bombing was based on accurate intelligence indicating that the aircraft was involved in transporting military supplies for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a direct violation of Sudanese sovereignty and a clear act of South Sudanese interference in the ongoing war.
Pilot Samson Ohide was not just a civilian pilot; he also served as Secretary General of the South Sudan Pilots Association, reinforcing the hypothesis that the operation was not a coincidence or carried out with a civilian intent. Rather, it had clear military and organizational dimensions and revealed a high level of coordination between Juba and the armed militias fighting against the Sudanese army.
The official silence of Salva Kiir’s government regarding this incident, and regarding numerous reports documenting the transit of supplies and support through South Sudan, proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is a systematic policy to support chaos in Sudan, serving well-known foreign and regional agendas.
South Sudan’s involvement in the Sudanese conflict is no longer limited to speculation or rumors; it has been confirmed by testimonies of victims, photographs of aircraft, attack sites, and the timing of raids.
The killing of Ohid is living proof that the Juba government has transcended its position of neutrality and consciously slipped into the quagmire of military involvement.
Therefore, the regional and international community is called upon to take a decisive stance against this blatant interference, launch an urgent investigation to uncover the extent of the southern regime’s involvement, and hold accountable all those involved in fueling this absurd war, the price of which is being paid by innocent people of both Sudan and South Sudan.