“I don’t want any more bloodshed in South Sudan”, Kiir said, speaking in public for the first time at the bullet-scarred presidential palace where the fighting erupted on Friday.
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Both officials said that while the cease-fire in Juba appears to be holding since it was declared Monday night, further clashes can not be ruled out.
Machar’s fighters have been forced from Juba and are scattered around the nearby areas of Jebel and the Yei Road, while Kiir’s troops have set up defensive positions on a major thoroughfare, according to the UN.
“Further clashes, therefore, can not be ruled out”, Ladsous said.
Siwar said that there are thousands of Sudanese nationals in Juba working mainly in the trade business. The Obama administration should also support the strengthening of the United Nations peacekeeping force in South Sudan, as proposed by Mr. Ban and Mr. Machar.
An army spokesman said that any soldier found stealing civilian property or looting would be arrested, and shot at if they resisted.
Regional Refugee Coordinator for the South Sudan situation Ann Encontre expressed fears about the possibility fresh outflows of refugees in the wake of the recent military crisis in Juba and the dearth of funding for South Sudanese refugees.
William Spindler, spokesman for the United Nations refugee agency, said the number of refugees in neighbouring countries was now 835,000. In late 2013, the country exploded into civil war that took on ethnic overtones between the Dinka tribe, which Kiir belongs to, and the Nuer, Machar’s tribe.
“We remain very anxious about the potential for the resumption of violence and spillover into other parts of the country”, said Ladsous. “The peace deal has to be re-worked in a way that keeps Salva Kiir and Riek Machar out of the balance of power”, he said.
Machar has stayed out of sight since taking part in a July 8 news conference with Kiir as government and opposition forces battled outside the compound and in other parts of the capital.
The U.S. government played an integral role in the country’s creation, and has been at the center of post-independence peace negotiations. Magdi el Gizouli, a Sudanese academic, told DW that there has to be enough pressure on the South Sudanese government, and that the peace deal has to provide alternative leadership other than the two principals (Kiir and Machar).
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Germany’s foreign ministry stated in an article published on its website that the last flight out also witnessed the departure of its diplomatic staff and closure of its embassy.
