An airstrike by the South Sudanese army has targeted a secondary school in Jonglei State as students were sitting their final exams, forcing them to flee into the bush, officials said.
The strike hit Ngundeng Secondary School in Langkien, Nyirol County, on Wednesday morning during the Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) examinations.
South Sudan’s Certificate of Secondary Education Examinations officially commenced on Monday. This year, the National Examination Council registered 44,364 candidates from 510 schools. The examinations are being conducted in 349 centers nationwide.
Peter Gatkuoth Koang, the local county commissioner appointed by the opposition SPLM-IO, told Radio Tamazuj that one student sustained minor injuries.
“About 20 students were sitting for their CSE exams in the town of Lankien,” he said. “Students ran into the bushes and are only returning this evening.”
He added that other parts of the Lankien town were also bombed, leading residents to flee.
Koang condemned the attack on civilian infrastructure and accused government forces of targeting women and children.
A senior state education official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed they had received reports of the incident but were still gathering details.
“We heard of airstrikes in Nyirol and that an examination centre was targeted. This is very unfortunate,” the official said.
Civil society activist Ter Manyang also condemned the attack, stating: “Every child has a right to education. It is very unfortunate that schools are targeted.”
He called on the international community to hold the South Sudanese government accountable for targeting schools and civilians in the country.
Radio Tamazuj attempted to contact South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) spokesman Maj Lul Ruai Koang for comment but received no immediate response.
Nyirol County, largely controlled by the SPLM-IO, has recently experienced intermittent aerial bombardment by the SSPDF.
No reason has been given for the latest strikes.