Five soldiers have been killed in a shootout in South Sudan’s capital Juba, army and former rebel officials said today, in the latest blow to a shaky peace deal.
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“The clashes happened yesterday night when the military vehicle carrying opposition soldiers opened fire on SPLA [the South Sudanese Army] soldiers in Gudele junction while it was moving, which resulted into killing of our five soldiers”, Juuk said.
Speaking to local radio station Eye Radio after a hint from the state governor, the mayor of the town, Akol Akol Ajiek, said the soldiers have moved seven kilometers out of the town.
As part of the deal, Machar returned to his position as vice president and took up residence in Juba after two years hiding out in the countryside. “Five soldiers have been killed in the incident”, said Nyarji Roman, a spokesman for rebel leader turned vice president Riek Machar. The factions, though, have failed to re-integrate and remain stationed in separate areas of the city, taking orders from their own commanders. Gatjieth accused the government of killing two opposition soldiers in Juba last week.
It also condemned the shooting attack on a senior United Nations official, which it said took place Thursday evening in Juba shortly after the clashes between the two rival armed groups.
Gatjieth demanded that Kiir’s forces allow opposition soldiers to join them at checkpoints and carry out security operations together.
The International Crisis Group warned earlier this month that urgent action was required to “prevent the country from returning to full-scale combat”.
Global organisations have limited their movements in recent days.
Gunfire erupted in a flashpoint town in South Sudan’s northwest on Thursday, forcing at least 200 civilians to flee to a United Nations compound in the area for safety, a spokeswoman said. The U.N. mission said it had stepped up patrols around its base but would not increase patrols in the capital, Juba.
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“The danger all along is with so many soldiers in this so-called demilitarised city of Juba that some kind of spark could set the whole thing off”, John Young, a South Sudan expert with the Small Arms Survey research group in Geneva, told the AP. News stories displayed here appear in our category for global and are licensed via a specific agreement between LongIsland.com and The Associated Press, the world’s oldest and largest news organization. Please see our terms of service for more information.
