Akobo, South Sudan (AP) – Wiyuahh Makuach was lying on the bed in a poorly lit hospital ward in South Sudan, her remaining arms resting on his lap as she described the chaos around her.
“Everything was ablaze,” she recounted during an interview in Akobo, a border town where she was receiving medical care for her wounds.
On May 3, while traveling with her 25-year-old son to a hospital in Whangak for tuberculosis treatment, a barrage of strikes, including attacks on a medical facility without borders, resulted in seven fatalities.
“I dashed outside and began applying mud to extinguish the flames,” said Makuach.
The 60-year-old is among countless civilians the organization reports have been killed or severely hurt in recent airstrikes as South Sudan’s military engages militia groups nationwide. The Army claims it only targets combatants and has yet to address civilian casualties.
“The Army forced us and our families into the bushes; we had to defend ourselves,” said Gatkuos Wee, 24, who sustained injuries while fighting in northern Johnray.
The ongoing conflict prompted a UN warning that South Sudan is again on the brink of civil war. Meanwhile, the administration of US President Donald Trump has called for a group of eight individuals from Cuba and Vietnam, who have been convicted of serious offenses in the United States, to be sent to South Sudan, potentially leading to a legal battle escalating to the Supreme Court.
Many casualties from the South Sudan conflict have been brought to Akobo, where the International Committee of the Red Cross has established a temporary surgical facility. Others remain trapped in combat zones for extended periods.
Dr. Bjarte Andersen, a surgeon with the ICRC, noted that the fighting hampers the transport of critically injured patients. “We’ve learned of people who perished while awaiting transport, and likely there are many more,” he said.
“The most critical cases cannot even be evacuated. They wouldn’t survive the journey,” explained Christina Bartullec, who oversees the organization’s medical activities in Akobo.
The ICRC does not differentiate between combatants and civilians among their patients. A majority of those treated were young men, some of whom indicated to The Associated Press they had participated in the conflict.
However, hospital personnel reported a noticeable rise in casualties last month, including many women and several children.
One such example is 15-year-old Kuaynin Bol, who suffered severe injuries in an explosion while at home. Surgeons have removed bone fragments from his brain and conducted four operations on his severely fractured legs.
The conflict escalated when local militias overran military barracks in Nasir, a northeastern town, in March.
The government attributed the attack to First Vice President Riek Machar, placing him under house arrest along with other members of his SPLM-IO party. Uganda has since deployed troops to assist in significant military operations against opposition forces and local militias throughout the country.
The attacks have primarily centered around Upper Nile state and reportedly involved improvised explosive devices, with human rights watchdogs estimating at least 58 casualties, including children.
In May, hostilities spread to the northern state of Johnray, including Whangak, previously unaffected by violence, after the government alleged opposition forces had hijacked several barges.
Isaac Pariel, a member of Machar’s opposition and the local chairman of Whangak’s government relief and rehabilitation committee, stated at least 25 civilians were killed this month. However, the actual toll could be much higher as many clashes occurred in remote areas inaccessible to health workers.
According to local officials and witnesses, a bombing in Wichimon Village on May 15 took the lives of 12 individuals, including eight children. The Associated Press could not independently verify these figures.
The government has not officially acknowledged responsibility for the attack.
Army spokesman General Lulu Luai Coan informed The Associated Press that he was unable to comment on “ongoing military operations across the country.”
The violence further devastates civilians already traumatized by consecutive humanitarian crises.
Much of the conflict is concentrated in the Greater Nile River region, a vast floodplain ravaged in recent years by extreme weather, disease, and severe food shortages.
“The residents here are constantly on the move in the dead of night,” stated William Nuon, a Whangak resident. “They live in fear of aerial bombardment.”
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Source: apnews.com