Scores of bodies from South Sudan gunfire, Juba doctor says

Kiir told journalists at State House that talks with Machar and second vice president James Wani Igga had been to discuss “what we can do in the implementation of the agreement and how to build confidence among the civilian population”.

Ban said Friday that he was “deeply alarmed” by the ongoing fighting in South Sudan’s capital of Juba, blaming both sides for their “lack of commitment to the peace process”.

The shooting began just as President Salva Kiir was about to hold a press conference at the compound.

There appears, according to the few reports coming out from more regular sources in Juba, to be complete and utter chaos in the city, and while at the moment the gunfire has died down, no one can be certain that shooting will not resume at first light.

The U.N. Mission in South Sudan is on a high security alert with no movement of U.N. personnel whatsoever, said Shantal Persaud, spokeswoman for the U.N. mission. “Sporadic clashes are commonplace, while growing food insecurity and deteriorating economic conditions foretell a grim outlook for the country at large”.

A similar skirmish in December 2013 sparked of the civil war that killed tens of thousands of people. They are meant to hold joint patrols to keep peace, but they have yet to work together and remain stationed in separate areas.

The five soldiers were killed on Thursday in a clash that the media reports say started when a group of soldiers backing Kiir had stopped vehicles carrying Machar loyalists in Gudele, a district of Juba where Machar has his political base. “We returned fire but it was limited fire”, he said. We call on the leaders of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movements in government and in opposition to immediately direct their forces to disengage and cease fighting.

He condemned last night’s attacks on United Nations and humanitarian operations too.

In a third incident Thursday evening, government security forces fired at two U.S. Embassy vehicles driving near the presidential compound, State Department spokesman John Kirby said.

In a statement Friday, the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission that oversees the cease-fire said the recent fighting in many parts of the country could be in “flagrant violation” of the peace deal.