Red Cross evacuates 17 South Sudanese injured in clashes

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said it had evacuated by air 17 people from the town of Raja, an administrative capital of Lol state following violent clashes there that left dozens of casualties.

Head of delegation for the ICRC in South Sudan Juerg Eglin said the global aid agency sent two airplanes and medical teams to Raja to evacuate the most severely wounded.

"We urge all sides to remember that civilians must be spared from the fighting and access to health care be granted," Eglin said in a statement issued in Juba.

Armed South Sudanese gunmen on Wednesday killed several officers and soldiers of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) in the attack targeting government officials in Raja town.

The attack which occurred on Wednesday morning resulted to the brief capture of the state capital and 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.

"The fighting has had a severe impact on civilians in and around Raja," said Eglin.

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

No group has claimed responsibility for the assault on the state capital and the government could not identify the attackers only to describe them as "bandits". Endit