Hordes of Gogrial East County inhabitants in Warrap State have reportedly fled their homes after the South Sudan People Defense Force (SSPDF) helicopter gunships bombarded some areas in the county last Thursday.
State government officials said an old man identified as Ater Akol Deng was wounded in the leg during the aerial attack.
However, Deng Ater Akol, the son of the injured man who is a resident of Awut-Wut village in Nyang Payam, said the airstrikes killed two civilians, a claim refuted by the government officials and community leaders.
A source knowledgeable about the airstrike who preferred anonymity for security reasons, told Radio Tamazuj over the weekend that local authorities in Warrap State asked the SSPDF leadership in Juba for aerial support in deterring a big group of armed youth from Unity State’s Mayom County from advancing to Warrap’s Gogrial East County to raid cattle. He, however, said the gunship crew, who are foreigners, bombed the wrong location.
According to Deng Thuom, the Gogrial East County Health Director, the gunships hovered over the Awut-Wut Primary Health Care Unit, forcing all health workers to flee, leaving patients behind.
“The health care unit was about to be bombed, and the staff ran away from the facility…the house where the old man was injured is just next to the health facility, so the patient is our neighbor,” he said.
For his part, Gogrial East County Police Inspector Captain Madut Madut Deng confirmed that the airstrikes were frightful and caused partial displacement in the area, but that residents have returned to their homes since the bombardment ceased.
“The airstrikes happened on Thursday, and there was no clear confirmation because we do not know where the gunship came from and why it bombed innocent civilians in Nyang Payam,” he stated. “The airstrike left one old man wounded in the leg. The civilians fled the area following the bombardments, but they returned to their homes as the plane stopped bombing.”
“It was only one plane, and if someone saw a different jet elsewhere, then I am not aware of that,” Captain Madut added.
A resident, Akot Anei, said the people were scared and feared continued aerial attacks.
“The airstrikes that happened in Awut-Wut made all civilians scared,” he said. “We found about six houses burned to ashes when we visited the area a few minutes after the attack.”
Meanwhile, Gogrial East County Member of Parliament Kiir Madut told this publication on Thursday that the airstrike targeted civilians and injured one person. He denied that two people were killed but said he was waiting for more Information as the area lacks a communication network.
“The report we received from the county, which is also my constituency, is that a military plane bombarded the area and many bombs missed the civilian areas, and one was dropped on a house and it injured an old man,” he said. “I called the commissioner to send a car so that the old man can be taken to the health facility for treatment.”
“While investigating the matter, we called Juba, but they denied knowledge of the airstrikes and said there is no rebel group with military aircraft,” Madut added.
The legislator said the inhabitants of the area ran to the forest towards Unity State’s Mayom County.