The commissioner of Bungu in Jubek state says more than 4,000 people have fled from the payams to the headquarters.

Fidele Ladu Augustino says the displaced left their homes after an incident in which thirteen were killed during an army operation in Kulipapa village early this month.

Earlier, the local government minister in the state said this happened during a search by security forces for people who went missing while on their way from Yei to Juba, a day before the operation.

Speaking to Eye Radio, Mr Ladu says people in other payams abandoned their homes following the incident for fear of similar occurrence.

“Of course, the incident happened in a payam out there. That is why they have all come to the county center. And these people, whose things are out there in the payams, are not able to reach there because they are afraid of the incident which occurred,” Mr Ladu said.

“Now there are some civilians who are staying at a police post and others in some other buildings. Police are also staying with them there because there is a unit of police in the center there,” he said.

Mr Ladu Augustino said the inhabitants are also afraid to go their farms to harvest what they had planted.
He said they are sometimes the farmers are escorted by the police to their homes to access their farms.