Yei Civil Hospital. (Photo: Courtesy).

A community leader is appealing to humanitarian agencies to airlift to Juba, six civilians critically wounded in the market attack in Lainya County on Saturday.

On March 4, 2023, five people were killed and nine others sustained wounds, when suspected armed herders went on a shooting rampage at the Limuro Trading Center – a market in Lainya.

Speaking to Eye Radio on Monday, David Metaloro, the Chairperson of Wuji Community in Juba said six of the wounded are being treated at the Yei Civil Hospital.

But Metaloro says the facility is not fully equipped to treat the grave injuries including broken bones and bullet wounds in their stomachs.

“The situation is more challenging on the ground because they have broken bones and some of them, their intestines were wounded by the bullets and we are looking forward for the humanitarian agencies.”

“At least we need support to transport them from Yei to Juba so that they can manage to access medical facility that can handle their situation. They are nine and we have six in critical condition.”

The violence on Saturday also resulted in the displacement of about 300 households to neighboring areas and military barracks.

Meanwhile, Khamis Kwaje who represents Lainya South at the national parliament appealed for urgent humanitarian assistance to the displaced persons.

“The first humanitarian assistant I expected for my people at least they need to get a place that is more secure and then the food because right now their farms are being destroyed, the food that they stored in being looted,”

“There is nothing that they can feed on and right now they don’t have shelter to stay in. So that is my urge that I really demand the government at least to give a helping hand to my people.”

On his part, Sultan Stephen Lubang, the chief of the Wuji Community called on the national government to deploy organized forces into the area to quell the situation there.

“I want the SSPDF to intervene in that place and let them not leave somebody having a gun to shoot somebody who doesn’t have a gun.”

“So, I want the government to help us, let them deploy the army or the police on the ground to help the situation. Because if the NGOs want to go to the ground and there are no organized forces, they will still return.”