The United Nations said on Thursday it will move non-critical staff out of South Sudan after an eruption of violence and has received reports accusing President Salva Kiir’s troops of targeting UN staff and foreign aid workers amid the fighting.
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The following is a rough transcription of the interview.
“We hope and expect the South Sudanese to bury the hatchet”, he said, but added, “If push comes to shove, we’ll have to carry the burden through strengthening the troop numbers”. The U.S. Embassy has said it was arranging flights out of the country for Americans. Uganda has also recently sent in troops. Ugandan troops only pulled-out late previous year.
At the same time the African Union is considering the establishment of a regional peace keeping brigade in South Sudan.
The latest fighting is not the first wave of violence to grip South Sudan in recent weeks. The two factions did come back together towards the end of the war – the development of a truce and an effective ceasefire and of course a transition to independence in 2011.
Both Kiir and Machar earlier this week declared a ceasefire, but observers have warned that the violence could return.
“I know for a fact, because I’ve seen it with my own eyes, that I don’t think all the casualties and the bodies have been collected and a proper count has been done, if it ever will be”, Loj said, addressing reporters via videolink from Juba, the South Sudan capital.
Uganda’s army chief Brigadier Leopold Kyanda said the mission involving 2,000 soldiers would likely last “two to three days” but an intelligence officer said some Ugandan troops may remain in Juba. At the time this raised worries about the conflict widening but the forces withdrew late previous year.
“What do you need more forces for?” he said in a news conference.
“We remain very anxious about the potential for the resumption of violence and spillover into other parts of the country”, said Ladsous.
President Kiir directed all commanders to cease all hostilities, control their forces and protect civilians, Information Minister Michael Makuei said in a televised speech on state broadcaster SSTV.
The involvement of military transport aircraft from India, Germany, Japan and other countries is partly due to the suspension of commercial flight into and out of Juba.
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Juba worldwide airport is packed with security personnel who block men from taking flights to other countries, resulting to detention of numerous passengers who were seen thrown into security vehicles and driven back into town.
