Speaking to reporters on Monday, UN chief Ban Ki-moon condemned the killing of UN staff, including two Chinese peacekeepers, in renewed fighting in South Sudan’s capital Juba. The US embassy warned of “serious fighting between government and opposition forces”.
Advertisement
1 Vice President Riek Machar (L) delivers a speech flanked by President Salva Kiir (C) and Vice President James Wani Igga (R) prior to the shooting outside the presidential palace in Juba. “Some of the civilians killed were reportedly targeted based on their ethnicity”, the United Nations special adviser on preventing genocide, Adama Dieng, said in a statement Tuesday. The August 2015 peace deal was supposed to end the conflict but fighting has continued.
An uneasy calm has settled over Juba, the capital of South Sudan, after rival government factions called for a ceasefire to fighting that has left at least 270 people dead.
There were eight deaths and 67 injuries at the United Nations base Sunday and Ban singled out the killing of two Chinese peacekeepers for condemnation.
Numerous thousands displaced by the renewed fighting in Juba are sheltering at the two U.N. bases, a World Food Program compound and other areas, said U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs spokeswoman Matilda Moyo.
On Sunday the Security Council had asked neighboring countries to send more peacekeepers to South Sudan.
President Salva Kiir and former rebel leader Riek Machar, now vice president, signed a peace accord previous year and formed an uneasy transitional coalition government.
“It is encouraging to see the leadership of South Sudan jointly condemn the violence and call for peace”, noted government spokesman.
South Sudanese residents of Juba are attempting to flee east, McDonald says, while worldwide workers are planning to evacuate.
He added the cease-fire was to begin Monday evening.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that at least more than 200 civilians have been killed including unknown number of soldiers, with hundreds fleeing homes to safer areas.
The fighting in Juba has severely threatened a peace deal signed previous year between Kiir and Machar to end a civil war that had killed tens of thousands since late 2013.
The two-year civil war started after clashes between rival soldiers in Juba and degenerated into nationwide conflict in which tens of thousands died.
Advertisement
HEAVY FIGHTING IN SOUTH SUDAN RISKS RETURN TO CIVIL WAR Heavy fighting involving tanks and helicopters raged in South Sudan on Monday between troops loyal to the president and those backing the vice president, risking a return to civil war and further instability in a volatile and poor region of Africa.
