A gunfight broke out on Sunday evening at the home of a senior SPLA commander, resulting in the killing of several of his bodyguards and injuries among civilians at the nearby UNMISS compound.

Government officials have not yet commented on the reasons for the shooting in Tong Ping on Sunday night. Radio Tamazuj learnt that a senior SPLA commander may have been the target of a security operation in the area.

The exchange of gunfire in Tong Ping started abruptly at about 6:00 p.m. when government troops apparently tried to enter the compound of a senior SPLA commander in the Tong Ping residential area.

The officer Brigadier Lam Dak fled his home fearing for his life, while four of his bodyguards were allegedly killed in the incident. “Lam Dak was allowed to enter to the compound safely, after he had submitted the gun and uniform to the UN guards,” outlined a source close to the commander.

However, while he was on run, one of the attackers in hiding upstairs at the nearby building allegedly opened fire in the direction of UNMISS compound where thousands of civilians have sought refuge due to insecurity in their various residential areas on the suburbs of Juba.

As a result a child inside the compound was reportedly shot dead and other eight people were seriously wounded including a UN peacekeeper from the Indian Battalion.

“One person was shot in the chest, he is now in critical condition, he neither speaks nor eats anything – he may die anytime,” the witness underscored.

The incident has heightened fears among refugees inside the UN base in Tong Ping who have not left the base in spite of relative calm in the city since the worst violence subsided 17 December.

File photo: Soldiers on patrol in Juba, 20 December 2013 (Reuters)