South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has ordered a ceasefire after days of intense fighting in Juba left more than 150 dead and many more injured since fighting broke out on Thursday. We don’t know who is responsible.
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South Sudan President Salva Kiir (C), followed by Vice President James Wani Igga (2nd R), leaves the conference room as artillery fire broke out near the presidential palace in Juba on July 8, 2016.
“The safety of Germans, employees of German organizations overseas as well as our own embassy staff has the highest priority”, the foreign office said, adding that Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier had spoken with his counterpart in South Sudan, Deng Alor, on Sunday evening asking that the authorities do everything to ensure the safety of German nationals and end the conflict.
Both leaders deny responsibility for starting the violence and had called for calm while it raged, leading to concerns that they have lost control of their forces or other political actors may be involved. But there were no details of a meeting or an accord.
An additional 3,000 civilians have sought shelter at the United Nations base to escape the immediate fighting. Thousands more fled to the camp in the current fighting. They are in the streets.
UNMISS said gunfire had erupted on Monday around the United Nations headquarters in the Jebel area of Juba and also around a base near the airport.
The fighting has raised fears of a return to the civil war that erupted in December 2013.
A government spokesman later said the situation had been brought under control. Human rights groups have accused both sides of the conflict of grave abuses, including rape, torture, killing civilians and forced displacement. Malual said he had been displaced by the fighting to a suburb of Juba, suffering from food and water shortages.
“Machar is committed to implementation of the peace agreement”. “I pray to God that they don’t break my shop”.
“The president has declared a unilateral ceasefire”. Machar’s spokesman said the JMEC was mediating.
There was no immediate comment from Kiir’s side. Many people have been killed in heavy fighting, he added. Oil production, by far the biggest source of government revenue, has plummeted.
“I strongly urge President Kiir and First Vice-President Riek Machar to do everything within their power to de-escalate the hostilities immediately and to order their respective forces to disengage and withdraw to their bases”, said Ban in a statement.
According to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), “Any upsurge in fighting that spreads elsewhere in the country will quickly have grave consequences, especially for the most vulnerable”. The August 2015 peace deal was supposed to end the conflict but fighting has continued.
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“We thought there was not going to be another war after the peace agreement was made and (Machar) came back to Juba with his forces”, Nyabac said.
