Three people were killed and several others displaced in a random shooting yesterday in Maridi town in Western Equatoria State, according to officials.

The executive director of the county, John Ezkia Paul, says shops and houses were burned during the shooting.

This followed a grenade attack on a slaughterhouse in a cattle camp near the town on Sunday, killing seven cows.

Army spokesman Col Philip Aguer said the community at the cattle camp then reacted to the attack in the morning yesterday.

“A certain armed individual threw a hand grenade into a cattle camp owned by butcheries who have been slaughtering their bulls in Maridi,” Col Aguer explained.

“And as a result, the hand grenade killed eight bulls. Now, one of the owners of these cows reacted, and went and killed a student, somebody innocent.

“In the surrounding, the community that is near the cattle camp reacted and went and burnt the houses of the cattle camp owners. The army and the police have intervened.”

However, the executive director says the fighting resumed later in the afternoon despite the deployment of security forces in the area.

Mr John Ezkia told Eye Radio that after another brief moment of heavy gunfire, security forces managed to restore calm last evening.

“Residents are displaced and they are outside Maridi, Maridi is now empty,” he said. Mr Ezkia says several people have not returned to their homes.