LANKIEN — South Sudan's military captured the town of Lankien on February 7, following a counteroffensive campaign through Jonglei State. During the military's operations in Jonglei State, a hospital was looted, homes were destroyed, and civilians were killed.

United Nations investigators reported then-army chief Paul Nang ordered national army, intelligence, police, and allied militia units to retake opposition-held territory. The South Sudanese government announced this counteroffensive on January 28, which it refers to as Operation Enduring Peace.

The Centre for Information Resilience documented 23 incidents between late January and February involving burned and looted civilian structures, including homes, health facilities, and markets. Satellite imagery and media analyzed by the centre indicated widespread destruction throughout the region. The centre stated the destruction may be part of a deliberate military strategy.

Five individuals who had departed Lankien reported that government-aligned forces arrived at the town's outskirts on February 7. On the evening of February 3, a bomb struck the empty Lankien hospital warehouse. Doctors at the hospital evacuated patients earlier that day. Mortar fire struck Lankien in the morning on February 7, and ground forces in armored vehicles entered the town later that morning. Residents left Lankien for the surrounding marshlands on February 7.

The Lankien hospital was looted, its cold-chain storage unit was burned, and vehicles were stripped. Solar water systems were dismantled, and the local market and nearby homes were destroyed. Satellite imagery reviewed by the centre indicated extensive destruction in Lankien between February 7 and 9.

After returning to his residence on February 7, Gai Ket reported finding his wife deceased from a severe chest wound. Puoch Duol found multiple deceased individuals near burned homes after returning to Lankien at night. More than a dozen interviewed residents believe South Sudan's military is responsible for targeted destruction in Jonglei State, while some residents stated opposition fighters were absent from villages during attacks.