The Nasser County police department has ordered all police in the area to report themselves to the county police headquarters, ahead of redeployment to the state capital.

The county in eastern Upper Nile is held by opposition forces loyal to Riek Machar and was the locus of much opposition coordination and recruitment ahead of the latest assault on Malakal two weeks ago.

Sobat FM in Nasser reported on Monday that police from all payams are ordered to report to Nasser, including also those from neighboring counties or those who came earlier from Malakal.

“We inform you who are in the payam please leave the payam and come to headquarters,” said Nasser Police Director Peter Magoo Bol.

“All police whether you are in Longuchuk, Nasser or Ulang County you will go to Malakal to stay there – this is the reason why we have called them and today most of them have come and I’m very happy for them,” he added

The police chief and opposition loyalist added that if somebody fails to show up then he will lose his job. He disclosed that after assembling in Nasser the police troops would leave for Malakal on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Malakal still controlled by the so-called 'SPLA in Opposition'. Government troops hold the oil fields to the north and west bank areas to which they retreated in the aftermath of the fighting in mid February. 

Photo: Fighters loyal to Riek Machar gather in a village in Upper Nile State, 8 February 2014 (Reuters/Goran Tomasevic)