Lainya town center | Credit | Courtesy

A sub-chief has been shot dead in Lainya County of Central Equatoria state amidst the ongoing conflict between SSDPF and NAS forces in the area.

Chief Joseph Ladu Nyikaloro was going to check his animal trap when he was shot by soldiers at Nyangbara village Tuesday morning.

That’s according to the late Ladu’s relative, who wants to be only identified as Michael.

Michael said shortly after Ladu’s killing, fighting raged between SSDPF and NAS forces in the area, forcing civilians in the area to flee.

He told Eye Radio this evening that several homes have been burnt down during the fighting.

“The old man was at home taking tea after that he took his arrow saying he was going to see his farm in the bush. It did not take minutes, he started to cry and people started to wonder what happened. His family members were surprised by the gunshot wound.  He was hit with two bullets,” Michael narrated the incident.

“After the attackers burnt all the whole village, they started firing their artillery and heavy weapons, PKMs and AK 47, this is what took place yesterday [Tuesday] in a place called Yangbara.

“We were hearing the sounds of big guns, the combat vehicles like land cruisers and the tanks could be coming from where? They belong to the government.”

Bishop Rufus John Lemi who is the Assistant Bishop of the South Sudan Episcopal Church in Lainya confirmed the incident to Eye Radio.

He told Eye Radio that civilian displacement has been displaced due to ongoing clashes between the government and NAS forces.

“The fighting has taken some days actually because it started on the 26 January. Until yesterday, there was still some gunfire and even one of the civilians was killed,” Bishop Rofasi said.

“Concerning the life of the people, it is really terrible because all the people in those villages have been displaced, houses got burnt, even food harvested burnt and people are not in the position of accessing their farmland.

“Now, no one has actually responded to the needs of the people. You find a big number of displaced persons in the town without food.”

Bishop Lemi said the renewed fighting started on the 26^th of last month.

The Provincial Bishop of the Episcopal Church of Central Equatoria state had this to say

“This is not just today. This has been happening and the conflicts have been going on and we talked to the army here and also talked to NAS and the leadership also. We compared all these notes,” Paul Yugusuk told Eye Radio.

“When Sant’ Edigio came here, we had a meeting on the same. So this is not something new. That’s why Sant’ Egidio. So that is not a secret any more, it is something that is known.”