Fighting enters 5th day in South Sudan capital

Sporadic gunfire echoed round parts of Juba on Monday, a day after fresh clashes in the South Sudan capital sent thousands fleeing and threatened the young nation’s shaky peace deal.

Some Nigerians who are trapped in Juba, South Sudan capital, as a result of the ongoing crisis in the country have alleged that the Nigerian embassy is not taking good care of them.

“The U.S. strongly condemns the latest outbreak of fighting in Juba”, State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.

The capital has been mired in fighting nearly every day since Thursday when troops loyal to Kiir and soldiers backing former rebel leader Machar first clashed, raising fears of a slide back to a full-blown conflict after a two-year civil war. “The Security Council expressed readiness to consider enhancing UNMISS to better ensure that UNMISS and the global community can prevent and respond to violence in South Sudan”, said Koro Bessho.

In a rare move, Ban called for an immediate arms embargo on South Sudan and targeted sanctions on leaders and commanders blocking implementation of the peace deal.

A United Nations peacekeeper from China was killed at the base Sunday night and others were injured, according to United Nations mission spokeswoman Shantal Persaud.

The Security Council called on President Salva Kiir and rival Vice President Riek Machar to rein in their respective armies in order to prevent even more violence, and sincerely commit to the application of a ceasefire and a peace treaty.

The war has been characterised by rape, ethnic massacres, attacks on civilians, the use of child soldiers, pillage, widespread destruction of property and displacement of the population.

The announcement was made as United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon called on the global body to impose an “immediate arms embargo” on the world’s youngest independent state.

Fighting since 2013 has left swathes of the country of 11 million people struggling to find enough food to eat.

The war exposed South Sudan’s other ethnic divisions: Kiir’s supporters are largely Dinka, while Machar’s followers are mostly Nuer.

Other Chinese and Rwandan peacekeepers also sustained injuries.

The UN mission has underlined that its capacity to protect civilians will be increasingly challenged if the heavy attacks around UN compounds and protection of civilians’ sites continues.

Information Minister and government spokesman Michael Makuei said that government forces are in control of the whole city except for isolated pockets of opposition.

On Friday, Kiir and Machar had been in patch-up talks after Thursday’s shootings when gunfire erupted.

Mr Machar made the call on Monday in an interview with South Sudan-based Eye Radio.

The two year Civil War in 2013 started in an incident between rival troop factions, as indeed on Friday.

The renewed fighting comes barely two months after the formation of a transitional government of national unity.