More than 14 children have died of hunger in the bush over the past two weeks, the Bishop of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan Lanya Diocese has said.

Bishop Elioba Laku says civilians have fled to the woods due to insecurity in the county.

He says there were sporadic shootings in Lanya on the 10th of July, which scared the civilians and forced them to flee into the bushes and up to now they are not able to return to their houses.

Lainya is situated along the Juba-Yei road which reportedly witnessed confrontations between the army and SPLM-IO forces recently.

“We have lost about 14 children in the bush as a result of hunger, cold, and the rains,” he told Eye Radio.

He told Eye Radio’s Dawn program this morning that though there is a bit of calm over the past three days, civilians are still not ready to return to the area due to insecurity.

“Our people are still in the bush, because of the [sporadic] shooting; they fear,” Bishop Laku added.

Bishop Elioba Laku says he is coordinating with the County Commissioner and the Military commander in the area to ensure that they talk to civilians and convince them to return to their homes.