Jibi MosesSeptember 10, 2026
The Upper Nile Observer, on 8 September 2026, published an article (archived) with a heading of ‘Breaking News’ claiming that fighting broke out in the Unity State, but the image used is old.
The blog claims that the image shows soldiers boarding onto a military truck with their ammunition and bedding before the reported fight. The article received over 30 reactions, 3 comments, and 3 shares. The Upper Nile Observer is an online page describing itself as a personal blog allegedly with a goal of informing, connecting, and inspiring. The page has over twenty thousand followers and two hundred following.
“Heavy fighting has reportedly erupted in Unity State between the SSPDF and the SPLA-IO forces in the Pakur area of Rubkona County. The situation is tense, with residents in the area alarmed by the unexpected, sustained firefight between the forces,” the article partly reads.
Another source that published the same story with different pictures is a Facebook page that calls itself “The Public.” (archived)
Debunking the Claim:
A Google reverse image search (archived) on the image returned results with several pictures, but the AI description of the results said, ‘This image appears to show joint personnel from the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and opposition forces moving to a unified training center.’
Of the many pictures, this particular one was used in an article on Flickr by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) with the title “SSPDF-SPLM/A-IO forces moved to training centres.” The image is credited to Denis Louro and was taken on 11 January 2020, then uploaded on 17 January 2020, in Maridi, Western Equatoria.
“…. a joyful day full of ululation, dance, and parading in styles, as troops line up to board trucks heading to Maridi training centre in Western Equatoria,” partly read the article.
A Google keywords search on the words:heavy fighting has reportedly erupted in Unity State between the SSPDF and the SPLA-IO forces in the Pakur area of Rubkona County on 8/9/2026” returned results without any mainstream media reporting the news.
The last time Radio Tamazuj reported similar news in the said location was on 4 January 2026; meanwhile, SudansPost shared similar news on the 9 of January, 2026.
Our Verdict:
The ClarityDesk has found the claim that there was heavy fighting that reportedly erupted in Unity State between the SSPDF and the SPLA-IO forces in the Pakur area of Rubkona County on 8 September 2026 to be false. The image used in the article is old and was taken in Maridi, Western Equatoria State, when SSPDF and SPLM-IO soldiers were preparing for a joint training in 2020.
This article is published by The ClarityDesk, with the support of the Election Civic Tech Fund of AfricTivistes, within the AHEAD Africa and Digitalise Youth projects, led by the Digital Democracy Initiative.
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About The ClarityDesk
The ClarityDesk is a media integrity project based in South Sudan dedicated to promoting truth, transparency, and accountability. Working at the intersection of fact-checking, solutions and data journalism, we verify claims, debunk misinformation, and equip the public with tools to critically evaluate information. Our work is guided by accuracy, independence, and the public interest.
