The Commissioner of Lainya County Augustino Kiri said today that children in his county are dying every week due to lack of healthcare in the conflict-affected county.

He said the number of children in the past week that have died could reach 17 and the general number of dead including the elderly people could be higher.

He says security is fairly stable with just some few attacks where gunmen come and shoot then run back.

Lainya, like Yei County and Wonduruba in Central Equatoria State, is experiencing an insurgency that spread after the signing of a peace deal last year. The signing of the peace deal coincided with the removal of two Equatorian governors and a crackdown on dissidents, civil society and media within the Equatorias. 

The commissioner said the gunmen are not identified but suggested they could be allied to SPLM/A-IO, which was the main opposition group in South Sudan before splitting into two, with one faction now loyal to the government.

Some insurgents in Equatoria have declared their loyalty to SPLM/A-IO while others have not announced any political platform. The insurgency in Lainya is particularly connected to fighting and alleged abuses against civilians that took place in September last year in neighboring Wonduruba, an area previously claimed by both Lainya and Juba counties.

Church leaders have accused the national army of killing and terrorizing civilians in Wonduruba. Much of the Wonduruba population have fled to Lainya. The Lainya area was also rumored to have been along the escape route of Dr. Riek Machar when he fled Juba last month, with government operations there seeking to capture or kill him. 

Augustino says that the last gunshots in the county were heard last Sunday. Other sources report to more recent fighting in neighboring Yei County.

The commissioner decried the humanitarian situation in the county saying it remained dire with no assistance rendered to the people of Lainya.

“These people in Lainya are human beings,” the commissioner said. “I do not know if Lainya is not a priority for the humanitarian community. They are also human beings and deserve assistance. They have right to life.”

Many aid workers have pulled out from South Sudan after violence in Juba last month, which has affected aid operations in the country. Huge amounts of food aid and supplies were looted during the events, allegedly by government troops. 

File photo: Commissioner of Lainya County Augustino Kiri (center)