Sr Veronika Terézia Racková, director of St. Bakhita Medical Center in Yei, has died in Nairobi hospital on Friday just days after being shot by an SPLA patrol in Yei town.
Racková was driving with an expecting mother in an ambulance after midnight on Monday when she was shot, according to reports from Yei. Although evacuated to Nairobi, Kenya, for medical treatment, she passed away days later.
Yei River State Information Minister Stephen Ladu confirmed her death to Radio Tamazuj: “Today, May 20th, 2016 we received a message of her death. H.E Governor David Lokonga Moses, the entire government and the people of Yei River state are grieved and heartbroken with the sad news on the death of late sister Veronica.”
He added, “Late Veronica had been serving at St Bakhita hospital for more than five years. She had been a great service provider to thousands of lactating mothers and babies in Yei River state.”
Three soldiers are currently held responsible awaiting court trial in Yei.
Earlier this week, a civil society organization, Centre for Democracy and Development, called for relocation of the army forces out of Yei town. The organization’s program manager Dara Felix, said withdrawing the army out of the town will help the government in tracking down criminals intimidating and killing civilians in and out the town.
“We equally demand that the army except the joint patrol force must be relocated outside the town. They are really causing a security threat to the people of this town. We have a number of cases of people being arrested, intimidated and time has come for all these forces to be out of the town,” said Felix.
Racková was a Slovak national and member of the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters. In the past she served in Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, and Ghana.
