MALAKAL – Heavy shelling by South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) was reported in Nasir, the capital of Nasir County, Upper Nile State, following the shooting of a young schoolboy by government soldiers on Tuesday, Aug. 13.
Lam Gatdet, a former executive director of Nasir County, said SSPDF personnel ambushed the student near Kaajiok Wechyaaradiw while he was traveling from Ethiopia to Ulang for a holiday. The unarmed boy, identified as Diew Jock Koway Deng from Ulag County, was left unconscious with severe injuries after being shot.
Gatdet stated that the boy regained consciousness hours later and managed to reach Dhuoreding Payam, where locals rescued him and took him to MSF Hospital in Ulang. The boy remains in critical condition.
This morning, SSPDF soldiers collecting firewood encountered local youth, resulting in an exchange of gunfire that left one youth and three soldiers dead. The SSPDF then began shelling Nasir, killing one person and causing civilian displacement and the burning of shops.
SSPDF spokesman Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang was unavailable for comment despite multiple attempts to reach him.
