The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Saturday evacuated by air 17 people from the town of Raja following violent clashes there that left dozens of casualties.

The fighting caused several hundred people to flee their homes in search of safety. In the aftermath of the fighting, the town saw large-scale looting. Three vehicles belonging to the Red Cross Movement were stolen.

According to a press release on Sunday, the ICRC sent two airplanes and medical teams to Raja to evacuate the most severely wounded. ICRC said these patients will eventually be flown to Juba where they will be cared for by ICRC surgical teams. In addition, medical supplies were donated to assist the wounded still in Raja.

“The fighting has had a severe impact on civilians in and around Raja,” said Juerg Eglin, the head of delegation for the ICRC in South Sudan. “We urge all sides to remember that civilians must be spared from the fighting and access to health care be granted.”

“The people that the ICRC have evacuated needed urgent medical attention,” Eglin said. “One of the ICRC's core missions is to ensure that all people wounded in armed conflict are given access to medical care.”

Photo: The Red Cross evacuating residents from Leer who were wounded in fighting in May 2015 (ICRC)