Over 25,000 ‘White Army’ militia marches toward Bor PaanLuel Wël 10 years ago Twenty-five thousand young men who make up a tribal militia known as the “White Army” are marching toward a contested state capital in South Sudan, an official said Saturday, dimming hopes for a cease-fire. There is a looming battle for Bor, the provincial capital of Jonglei state that briefly fell to rebels before government forces took it back this week, said military spokesman Col. Philip Aguer. Pro-Machar forces are believed to be preparing a fresh offensive to retake Bor, he said. Bor is the town where three United States military aircraft were hit by gunfire while trying to evacuate American citizens on Dec. 21, wounding four U.S. service members. An estimated 25,000 youths from the Lou Nuer sub-clan — the same tribe Machar is from — are marching on Bor, said Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth. The “White Army” gets its name in part from the white ash fighters put on their skin as a form of protection from insects. “He has decided to mobilize the youth in the name of his tribe,” Lueth said. Share this:Print Wondering: The War Within DinkaDateJanuary 19, 2014In relation toCommentaryRiek Machar threatens to attack Bor, tells civilians to go to the UNMISS PoCDateJuly 22, 2016In relation toJunub SudanSouth Sudan army ‘recaptures key town of Bor’DateDecember 24, 2013In relation toHistory
