Brig Lul Ruai Koang, SPLA Spokesperson [Courtesy photo]

The SPLA spokesperson says his office is yet to receive a report on attacks by armed groups on Lasu Refugee settlement, Yei River State.

Last week, the United Nations Refugee Agency said more than 8,000 refugees had fled the camp in panic after attacks by an unspecified group of armed men.

It said a young Congolese refugee was killed, one woman raped and two others abducted in the incident.

In a statement, the UNHCR said a health center and other humanitarian assets were either looted or destroyed, and refugees’ food, personal belongings and livestock stolen.

It said the armed groups repeatedly entered the settlement, fired shots and assaulted refugees.

UNHCR said nearly 6,500 people have reportedly found refuge in farmland some 6 kilometers north of Lasu, while another 1,400 refugees have scattered along the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The SPLA Spokesperson, Brigadier Lul Ruai, says the army command in the area has not given any report on the incident.

“We’ve not received any information from our command in the area regarding the reported problem and I’ve just read it on the media like anybody,” Brig Ruai told Eye Radio.

According to the UNHCR, Lasu settlement had been hosting over 10,000 refugees, mostly from DRC with smaller numbers from Sudan and Central African Republic.