Barricade tape for crime scene (Courtesy)

Five people were killed and nine others wounded, after armed men went on a shooting spree at a local market in Lainya County on Saturday, a local official has said.

Lainya County is part of Central Equatoria State, and lies in the northeast of the capital Juba.

Batali Oliver, the Chairperson of Wuji Payam Community in Lainya County said armed herders, entered Limoru Trading Center at 3 PM, and started shooting indiscriminately at the civilians.

“This incident happened yesterday at 3: PM, when these pastoralists entered a market and started shooting indiscriminately at the civil population,” he said.

“In the process, they killed five people on the spot and nine people sustained injuries. They are currently receiving treatment at Yei Civil Hospital; six of them are severely injured and would be transferred to Juba.”

“The situation is tense, the civil population is in panic and they do not know where these cattle herders have gone. Some of them started moving out of the area for their own safety.”

Oliver says about 300 households have been forced out of their homes, and fears that the number could increase as the situation remains tense.

He condemned alleged inaction by SSPDF forces upon the incident, which he says occurred close to a military barracks in the area.

But SSPDF Spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.

The local official says it is the third time in two years that the payam suffers an attack by the pastoralists. According to him, at least 13 people have been killed and more than 20 people were hurt in the three attacks since 2021.

Speaking to Eye Radio on Sunday, he called on the national government to adopt a forceful evacuation of the herders.

“To the government of the Republic of South Sudan and that of Central Equatoria State, we need a forceful eviction of these cattle herders from Lainya County and particularly in Wuji Payam.”

“Since the pastoralists entered the area in 2014, we have been writing memos and reports, whenever commissioner or governor visits, and we tell them that the major cause of insecurity is the issue of pastoralists but all these went unanswered.”

On February 25th, the governor of Jonglei State Denay Jock Chagor reiterated calls on the cattle herders to “return home”, saying the flooding that displaced them has subsided.