The town of Akobo has become the latest flashpoint in South Sudan’s ongoing political and military tensions.

Government forces moved into the town Tuesday morning, sparking clashes with fighters from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army‑in‑Opposition.

Former commissioner James Kueth Makuach later appeared in a video claiming that the town had fallen under government control and that calm had returned.

But opposition leaders disputed the claim, saying their forces regained control later in the day.

Akobo had been the last major opposition stronghold in the Lou Nuer area after government forces recently retook bases in nearby counties.