Fierce fighting in Juba despite appeals for calm

AFP, JUBA: Heavy fighting resumed in South Sudan’s capital Juba on Monday despite international calls for calm after deadly gun battles sent thousands of people fleeing and threatened the young nation’s shaky peace.
The United Nations expressed deep alarm over the surge in violence, which has left several hundred people dead and risks plunging the country into a new civil war.
Intense battles resumed Monday with tanks and helicopter gunships deployed and artillery and mortar fire heard in parts of the city.
Insecurity meant planes were unable to arrive or depart the city’s airport.
Witnesses reported “very, very heavy fighting,” with residents barricading themselves inside houses and aid workers holed up in bunkers while the US embassy warned of “serious fighting between government and opposition forces”.
The only civilians on the streets scurried for shelter during lulls in fighting.
The UN Security Council demanded Sunday that President Salva Kiir and his Vice President Riek Machar “do their utmost to control their respective forces, urgently end the fighting and prevent the spread of violence”.
The current fighting between soldiers loyal to Kiir, a member of the Dinka tribe, and former rebels backing Machar, a Nuer, was triggered by a deadly altercation at a checkpoint on Thursday night.
That was followed by hours of violent confrontations on Friday evening that left at least 150 dead. Local media gave a higher figure of 270. After a pause on Saturday—South Sudan’s fifth anniversary of independence—battles began in earnest on Sunday morning, continuing throughout the day in several parts of the city before subsiding overnight and resuming Monday.
It is unclear how many have been killed since Sunday. The clashes are the first between the army and ex-rebels in Juba since Machar returned to take up the post of vice president in a unity government in April.
The violence marks a fresh blow to last year’s peace deal which has failed to end the civil war that broke out in December 2013, when Kiir accused Machar of plotting a coup.

 

Fierce fighting in Juba despite appeals for calm

AFP, JUBA: Heavy fighting resumed in South Sudans capital Juba on Monday despite international calls for calm after deadly gun battles sent thousands of people fleeing and threatened the young nations shaky peace. The United Nations expressed deep alarm over the surge in violence, which has left several hundred people dead and risks plunging the country into a new civil war. Intense battles resumed Monday with tanks and helicopter gunships deployed and artillery and mortar fire heard in parts of the city. Insecurity meant planes were unable to arrive or depart the citys airport. Witnesses reported very, very heavy fighting, with residents barricading themselves inside houses and aid workers holed up in bunkers while the US embassy warned of serious fighting between government and opposition forces. The only civilians on the streets scurried for shelter during lulls in fighting. The UN Security Council demanded Sunday that President Salva Kiir and his Vice President Riek Machar do their utmost to control their respective forces, urgently end the fighting and prevent the spread of violence. The current fighting between soldiers loyal to Kiir, a member of the Dinka tribe, and former rebels backing Machar, a Nuer, was triggered by a deadly altercation at a checkpoint on Thursday night. That was followed by hours of violent confrontations on Friday evening that left at least 150 dead. Local media gave a higher figure of 270. After a pause on SaturdaySouth Sudans fifth anniversary of independencebattles began in earnest on Sunday morning, continuing throughout the day in several parts of the city before subsiding overnight and resuming Monday. It is unclear how many have been killed since Sunday. The clashes are the first between the army and ex-rebels in Juba since Machar returned to take up the post of vice president in a unity government in April. The violence marks a fresh blow to last years peace deal which has failed to end the civil war that broke out in December 2013, when Kiir accused Machar of plotting a coup.