The Lainya County Parliamentary Caucus in the national parliament on Monday demanded justice for the innocent civilians who were gunned down in Wuji Payam in Lainya County of Central Equatoria State on Saturday.
On 4 March 2023, five people including the head teacher of Limuro Primary School were killed and nine others sustained injuries when suspected pastoralists from Bor in Jonglei State went on a shooting spree at the local market.
Dusman Joyce James, a lawmaker representing Lainya County at the national parliament, called on the government to take serious steps in bringing to book the perpetrators of the killings.
“We demand the arrest of those behind the brutal murders and their subsequent speedy trial in a competent court of law,” she told reporters during a press conference held in Juba on Monday.
Joyce called for airlifting of 9 persons who were critically injured during the market attack to Juba.
“We demand the immediate medical evacuation of the wounded persons from Yei Civil Hospital to Juba Teaching Hospital for further medical treatment,” she said.
Meanwhile, Stephen Digol Steward, another parliamentarian from Lainya County, said the cattle herders went on a rampage shooting at farmers because they were prevented from grazing their animals on farmlands.
“They wanted to invade the land so that they occupy it to graze their cattle and that is very dangerous and has caused a lot of displacement,” said Digol.
On his part, David Meta Zachariah, the chairman of the Wuji Payam Community in Lainya County, said the pastoralists opened fire on civilians in Limuro Trading Center after a closed-door discussion with soldiers at the local military barracks.
“The killing started when armed herders went to a trading center called Limuro and some of them moved towards the military barrack,” he narrated. “We do not know what they discussed there and after their return from the military barrack, they started shooting at civilians randomly.”
Source: Radio Tamazuj