Africa-Press – South-Sudan. At least four civilians, including a nine-month-old child, were killed and 25 wounded in a Saturday airstrike on Old Fangak, which the county commissioner blames on the SSPDF. Maj. Gen. Lul said he would respond when authorized.
Following reports of the bombardment, SSPDF spokesperson Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang told Eye Radio he would respond once authorized to issue an official statement.
Biel Butros Biel, the Commissioner of Fangak County, reported that two military gunships, a drone, and a fixed-wing aircraft attacked the town around 4 a.m.
According to the commissioner, the strikes targeted the heart of Old Fangak, a town known to shelter tens of thousands of displaced civilians and have no military presence.
“They bombed a civilian centre,” Commissioner Biel said in a public statement. “They displaced over 30,000 people. The planes belong to the government of South Sudan.”
Biel confirmed that among the dead are a young woman, two men, and a nine-month-old infant. He added that medical teams are still assessing the full extent of the casualties.
“We have just gathered information from the town that four people died, including a nine-month-old boy, a very young child, a woman, and two young men. They were all killed in the bombardment,” Biel stated.
“So far, we have confirmed that 25 civilians have been wounded, some of whom are in critical condition and remain in severe health.”
He pointed out that the only hospital in Old Fangak, operated by Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), was also hit in the bombardment. The hospital’s pharmacy was destroyed by fire, leaving the area without its primary source of medical care.
“They bombed the hospital… the pharmacy of MSF has been burned to ashes,” Biel said. “Some of the wounded are in critical condition, and we don’t know how they will survive without medicine.”
Commissioner Biel condemned the assault, emphasizing that Old Fangak has no connection to any military activities. He called for urgent humanitarian assistance and international attention to prevent further civilian suffering.
“We are still gathering information,” Biel said. “But what’s clear is this was an attack on innocent people, not combatants.”
The attack follows a public statement made just one day earlier by a spokesperson for the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF), warning that Fangak and nearby Leer County would be targeted.
On Friday, May 2, SSPDF spokesperson Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang revealed that several barges and boats belonging to a United Nations agency and a Sudanese businessman were hijacked in Leer County, Unity State, and Fangak County, Jonglei State.
Maj Gen Lul accused the SPLM-IO and armed youth known as the White Army of being behind the hijacking and issued a warning to the SPLM-IO in the region.
However, on Saturday, May 3, SPLA-IO spokesperson Col. Lam Paul Gabriel dismissed accusations by the SSPDF that their forces detained barges belonging to the United Nations and private businessmen in Adok.
In a statement, Col. Lam denied any hijacking or extortion, stating that the boats are docked at Adok port for reasons known only to the businessmen involved.
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