Eight children, five women killed in South Sudan army bombardment of northern Jonglei

JUBA – At least eight children and five women were killed in fresh South Sudan army bombardment in parts of northern Jonglei State on Tuesday, sending hundreds of civilians fleeing from their homes, local residents and officials said.

The strikes hit areas of Ayod, Uror and Nyirol counties early in the morning, residents said, describing loud explosions and sustained shelling near several villages.

A resident of Ayod, who identified himself only as James, said 13 civilians – eight children and five women – were killed in the attack, including two of his relatives.

“In yesterday’s bombardment, two of my relatives’ children were killed. We are currently at the burial,” said another resident, Riek. “The incident happened at around 9 a.m. when the gunship came and bombed the area,” he added, urging authorities to protect civilians while pursuing armed groups.

In Uror County, Chot Jak, the county coordinator based in Bor, confirmed that bombardment had occurred in Pieri Payam but said communication problems were hampering efforts to verify casualties.

“Yes, it happened early in the morning at around 9 a.m. in Pieri Payam. The area is highly populated, and the mobile network is down, so we cannot communicate with people on the ground to know the number of casualties,” Chot said.

He added that civilians had begun fleeing the area in large numbers.

“Most people are reported to have fled Pieri Payam. They are moving to other payams they think are safe for themselves and their children,” he said.

Local authorities said they were still verifying reports but confirmed that unexplained aerial and artillery activity had been detected near remote settlements.

Some community leaders accused the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces of carrying out the attacks, but the military had not issued a statement in response.

Jonglei State authorities said they were coordinating with county administrations to assess the extent of the damage. Simon Hoth Dual, the state minister of local government, confirmed that bombardment had taken place in Ayod County.

“We have received reports that there was bombardment in Ayod County, but there is no network connectivity in the area,” Hoth said.

“We are trying to gather more details, and once the information is available it will be established,” he added.