Six killed, hundreds displaced in S. Sudan’s Ezo county

Nov 07, 2016 (YAMBIO) – At least six armed men were killed when they attacked a South Sudan army (SPLA) barracks in Gbudue, one of the country’s newly-created states, officials said on Tuesday.

“At 6:30 am this [Tuesday] morning, I was inside my house and I heard sounds of shootings believed to be between rebels and the government forces. The situation was tense when I came outside, forcing me to run to the nearby church where I am now with hundreds of civilians,” Badin Michael Mboro told Sudan Tribune.

The displaced, he said, fled to neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Central African Republic (CAR), while others found refuge in bushes and in a nearby Catholic church within Ezo.

The unknown attackers, according to the commissioner, were repulsed and fled after they looted several properties from civilians. No soldier was injured or killed.

Locals in Ezo lauded the United Nations mission in the country (UNMISS) for its immediate response to the attack, in line with its rightful mandate to protect civilians.

No groups or individuals have claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack.

(ST)