United Nations Mission in (UNMISS) Media & Spokesperson Unit Communications & Public Information Office MEDIA MONITORING REPORT

WEDNESDAY, 18 DECEMBER 2013

SOUTH SUDAN

• South Sudan opposition leader Riek Machar denies coup (BBC) • South Sudan ex-VP denies coup attempt, labels Kiir ‘illegal president’ (Sudan Tribune) • Hundreds killed, thousands flee clashes in South Sudan (South China Morning Post with AFFP) • Fighting Spreads Outside South Sudan Capital (Voice of America) • South Sudan: Hundreds Killed In Army Clashes (Sky News) • UK to temporarily withdraw some embassy staff from South Sudan following violence in country (Canada.com via AFP) • South Sudan Vows to Hunt for Former Deputy After Coup (Bloomberg) • Gunfire heard in Juba for second day (IOL News) • E. Equatoria declares curfew as Juba violence continues (Sudan Tribune) • U.N. told up to 500 killed in South Sudan clashes: diplomats (Reuters) • SPLM officials arrested in over links to Juba clashes (Sudan Tribune) • South Sudan Forces Loyal to Ex-Vice President Take Jonglei Towns (Bloomberg) • South Sudan violence spreads wider (Telegraph) • Governor Urges Citizens To Maintain Peace (Gurtong) • Jonglei capital under attack by SPLA defectors (Radio Tamazuj) • At Least 19 Civilians Killed In Bor Town (Gurtong) • Mutiny forces attack Jonglei military camps (Sudan Tribune) •

GLOBAL/REGIONAL

• Sudan says Juba unrest won’t impact cooperation agreements (Sudan Tribune) • Turkey issues travel warning to South Sudan (Daily News Turkey) • Kenyans trapped at Juba UN camp (The Standard Digital) • US urges citizens to leave South Sudan amid unrest (Times Live) • Kenyans trapped in Juba fighting appeal for rescue (Daily Nation)

NOTE: Reproduction here does not mean that the UNMISS Communications & Public Information Office can vouch for the accuracy or veracity of the contents, nor does this report reflect the views of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.

Highlights

South Sudan opposition leader Riek Machar denies coup (BBC)

BBC, 18/12/2012 - Fugitive former South Sudanese vice-president Riek Machar has denied government allegations that he tried to stage a coup at the weekend. In a BBC interview, he denied any link with fighting that began on Sunday. Mr Machar, who fell out with President Salva Kiir in July, accused him of "inciting tribal and ethnic violence" to cover his own failings.

The UN has said the fighting has claimed hundreds of lives, and warned that it could descend into a civil war. President Kiir has said a group of soldiers supporting Mr Machar had tried to take power by force on Sunday night, but were defeated.

He said the clashes began when uniformed personnel opened fire at a meeting of the governing party, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM). But Mr Machar told the BBC on Wednesday: "There was no attempted coup." He blamed Sunday's fighting on a conflict between members of the presidential guard, and said it spread across parts of the capital, Juba. He added that government troops used the incident to arrest some of his supporters on Monday, and that he himself escaped. "Someone wanted to frame me," he said. "I had to flee. They are hunting me down." The whereabouts of Mr Machar are unclear. He told the BBC he was still in South Sudan and was "not going to leave the country". Details of the fighting have been sketchy, but a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York on Tuesday was told that the clashes were "apparently largely along ethnic lines". French UN ambassador Gerard Araud, who holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council, said up to 20,000 people had taken refuge in the UN mission in Juba. "Some reports are speaking of hundreds of casualties. For the moment we can't confirm this, but in any case it is a heavy toll," Mr Araud told the BBC. He said the conflict had "the potential of a civil war" between the two main ethnic groups, the Dinka and the Nuer. The government has denied that there was an ethnic aspect to the conflict. "If you see the people going with Dr Riek [Machar], some are Dinkas, some are Chol, Nuer and other tribes," said the governor of State, Simon Kun Pouch. (Read More on BBC)

South Sudan ex-VP denies coup attempt, labels Kiir ‘illegal president’

Sudan Tribune - 18/12/2013 (LONDON) – South Sudan’s former vice president, Riek Machar, has categorically denied any involvement in an alleged coup attempt in the capital, Juba, saying it was another undemocratic attempt by President Salva Kiir to get rid of his political critics in the party and government.

Speaking exclusively to Sudan Tribune for the first time since violence erupted on Sunday, Machar said the events were a misunderstanding between the presidential guards. “There was no coup. What took place in Juba was a misunderstanding between presidential guards within their division. It was not a coup attempt. I have no connection with or knowledge of any coup attempt”, said Machar. He claimed that no official from the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) had any connection with the alleged coup. At a press conference held on Monday, Kiir accused Machar of involvement in Sunday’s attack on a military base in Juba. Unusually clad in full military attire, the president said a group of soldiers allied to Machar and his group attacked the army (SPLA) headquarters near Juba University.

2 “These attacks continued until this morning” (Monday), added Kiir, flanked by his deputy, James Wani Igga, and defence minister Koul Manyang Juuk. The South Sudanese leader described Machar as a “prophet of doom [who] continues to persistently pursue his actions of the past”, referring to the 1991 split in which the latter defected from the then rebel movement during its long civil war with Sudan. “However, I would like to inform you, at the outset, that your government is in full control of the security situation in Juba”, the president said. He also maintained that the SPLM is fully committed to the peaceful and democratic transfer of power, vowing not to allow political power to be transferred through violence.

CALLS FOR REFORM

However, the former vice-president insists Kiir is simply looking for a way to falsely accuse his detractors in order to frustrate the democratic processes, which Machar and his group has persistently been calling for within the party. Machar told Sudan Tribune that Kiir was continuing to violate the constitution and was “no longer a legal president”. “What we wanted was to democratically transform the SPLM, but Salva Kiir wanted to use the alleged coup attempt in order to get rid of us to control the government and the SPLM. We don’t want him the president of South Sudan anymore”, he said, without elaborating further on his next move. Machar claims that he and a number of his colleagues, who have been detained in connection with the alleged coup plot, are being unfairly victimised. Machar also condemned Kiir’s actions for encouraging or condoning the recent massacres targeting one ethnic group in the nation’s capital in the last three days. On Tuesday, the government announced it was seeking the arrest of Machar and other officials, including suspended SPLM secretary-general Pagan Amum, former Unity governor Taban Deng, as well as former ministers Alfred Lado Gore and Adwok Nyaba. At least 10 South Sudanese officials, mainly ex-ministers, have been arrested in connection with what the government described a failed “coup attempt” in the capital.

Hundreds killed, thousands flee clashes in South Sudan

South China Morning Post with AFP, 18/12/2013 - Hundreds of people have died and up to 20,000 others have fled to UN bases in days of fierce fighting in South Sudan’s army after an alleged coup bid, officials said. The United States ordered non-essential embassy staff out of the country, the world’s youngest nation and awash with guns after decades of war, amid fears of a descent into wider ethnic violence. In the capital Juba, gunfire still rang out into the early hours of Wednesday morning, a reporter said. “There are people walking in the city this morning, but it would be premature to say things are back to normal,” he said. The government ordered Juba airport to re-open, although regional airlines said they were waiting for security guaranties before allowing flights bound for Juba to take off. “We are waiting for confirmation that the airport is safe,” a Kenya Airways official said. “For the moment it is 50-50”. Many of Juba’s residents have spent the past two days barricaded in their homes, too afraid to move. Others used lulls in the sporadic and often intense battles to grab what belongings they could and flee to safer areas, including UN bases. President Salva Kiir on Monday accused soldiers loyal to his arch-rival, former vice president Riek Machar who was sacked in July, of staging a coup attempt in the oil-rich but deeply impoverished nation, which has struggled with instability since becoming independent in 2011. Machar, in comments published Wednesday, denied any attempt to topple the president, and instead accused Kiir of using the violence to as a pretext to purge any challengers. “What took place in Juba was a misunderstanding between presidential guards within their division, it was not a coup attempt,” he told the Paris-based Sudan Tribune website, in his first public remarks since the fighting started.

3 “Kiir wanted to use the alleged coup attempt in order to get rid of us.” The government said 10 key figures, many of them former ministers, have been arrested in the crackdown, and that others, including Machar, were on the run.

Situation ‘extremely tense’ UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous told the Security Council that between 400-500 bodies had been taken to hospitals in Juba, while another 800 people had been wounded. Ladsous told the council it appeared the clashes that erupted in the “extremely tense” capital late Sunday were on ethnic lines. President Kiir and his rival Machar hail from different ethnic groups and fought on different sides during Sudan’s civil war. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said medical teams in Juba’s two main hospitals were having trouble coping. “Staff in both hospitals have been working around the clock, but they are struggling because of the sheer volume of patients and the severity of the injuries,” said Felicity Gapes, an ICRC delegate leading the medical response on the ground. Security Council president Gerard Araud, France’s UN ambassador, would not confirm the toll after the talks at the UN. “There is a heavy toll, it is obvious,” Araud told reporters, while adding that precise figures were not yet available. “There are dozens and scores of casualties,” he said. Araud added that fighting had also been reported outside of the capital, in which has a history of clashes between rival ethnic groups. There were also reports of fighting outside Juba, including in the already-tense Jonglei state -- where the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said hundreds of civilians had also sought refuge at two of their bases. Ladsous told the Security Council that between 15,000 and 20,000 people had sought UN protection in Juba. The special representative of the UN secretary-general, Hilde Johnson, said it was “paramount” that the conflict did not assume ethnic dimensions. The US State Department issued a statement saying all non-emergency US government personnel have been ordered to leave South Sudan “because of ongoing political and social unrest” and also urged all Americans to get out of the country “immediately”.

South Sudan: Hundreds Killed In Army Clashes

Sky News, 18/12/2013 - Hundreds of people have been killed in clashes between rival army factions in Juba, the capital of South Sudan. Gunfire was ringing out into the early hours of Wednesday morning, according to a reporter on the scene. "There are people walking in the city this morning, but it would be premature to say things are back to normal," he said.

The government under President Salva Kiir has ordered the airport to reopen, although regional airlines said they are waiting for security guaranties before allowing flights bound for Juba to take off. "We are waiting for confirmation that the airport is safe," a Kenya Airways official said. "For the moment it is 50-50". The US has ordered non-essential embassy staff out of the country, the world's youngest nation, amid fears of a descent into wider ethnic violence.

The fighting appears to be taking place along ethnic lines, UN Security Council president Gerard Araud, France's UN ambassador, told the 15-member council. Mr Kiir has accused troops loyal to former vice- president Riek Machar - who was sacked in July - of staging a coup attempt in the oil-rich but deeply impoverished nation.

Mr Kiir is an ethnic Dinka while Mr Machar is a Nuer. Mr Machar has meanwhile denied any attempt to topple the president, instead accusing the president of using the violence as a pretext to purge any challengers. "What took place in Juba was a misunderstanding between presidential guards within their

4 division, it was not a coup attempt," he told the Paris-based Sudan Tribune website, in his first public remarks since the fighting started.

"Kiir wanted to use the alleged coup attempt in order to get rid of us."

UN leader Ban Ki-moon spoke with Mr Kiir on Tuesday and urged him to offer "dialogue" with the opposition. Mr Ban also spoke with the president of neighbouring Uganda, Yoweri Musseveni, about the unrest.

The Security Council meeting was called at the request of the US, which has ordered non-essential diplomatic staff out of South Sudan.

UK to temporarily withdraw some embassy staff from South Sudan following violence in country

Canada.com via AFP - 18/12/2013 - LONDON - Britain's Foreign Office says it is withdrawing some embassy staff from South Sudan because of violence in the oil-rich East African country.

The U.N. estimates that fighting in South Sudan has killed up to 500 people, violence that the president of the world's newest country has blamed on a coup attempt by soldiers loyal to his former deputy, who belongs to a different ethnic group.

The Foreign Office said Wednesday that its embassy in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, remains open, but that it has decided to temporarily withdraw some embassy staff and their dependents. It continues to advise against all travel to Juba.

Fighting Spreads outside South Sudan Capital

Voice of America, 18/12/2013 - Fighting in South Sudan has spread to areas beyond the country's capital, where clashes began Sunday in what the government called an attempted coup.

The U.N. mission in South Sudan reported heavy fighting in the city of Bor early Wednesday that lasted for about four hours before decreasing in intensity. The mission said more than 1,000 civilians have sought shelter at its compound in Bor, which is about 150 kilometers north of Juba. There was also fighting overnight at a military base in , southeast of the capital. U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous reported Tuesday to the Security Council that local hospitals said at least 400 people have been killed in Juba, but that the U.N. had not been able to verify the toll. In a statement late Tuesday, the council expressed concern about the risk of violence targeting certain groups and called for South Sudan's government to hold talks with its opponents. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday that the people of South Sudan have sacrificed too much for their country to return to violence. "Political differences need to be resolved by peaceful and democratic means and those have been hard fought for. The government should respect the rule of law and the people of South Sudan should be able to realize their full potential in peace."

President Salva Kiir blamed the coup attempt on forces loyal to his former vice president, Riek Machar, whom he fired in July. Observers have raised concerns that a rift between Machar, from the Nuer ethnic group, and Mr. Kiir, a Dinka, could fuel tribal violence in South Sudan. South Sudan's government said 10 people have been arrested for their alleged roles in the coup attempt, while Machar remains at large. The government also said it expected to reopen Juba's airport to both domestic and international flights on Wednesday. Government security forces have imposed a nighttime curfew in Juba and were searching door-to-door for

5 those blamed for the fighting. The president of the U.N. Security Council, French Ambassador Gerard Araud, said as many as 20,000 people have taken refuge with the U.N. mission in Juba. The U.S. State Department has ordered the departure of all non-essential personnel from South Sudan and is urging all Americans in the country to leave immediately.

South Sudan Vows to Hunt for Former Deputy after Coup

Bloomberg, 18/12/2013/ By Mading Ngor and David Malingha Doya South Sudan is seeking to detain former Vice President Riek Machar and other politicians that President Salva Kiir said led a failed coup this week. The government has arrested 10 people and is searching for Machar, who was dismissed as Kiir’s deputy in July, and four others who fled the capital, Juba, Information Minister Michael Makuei said yesterday.

“They’re being pursued and ultimately they’ll be arrested,” Makuei said. “They’re ambitious politicians who want to achieve their objectives through other means than democracy.” The U.S. State Department yesterday ordered its non-essential employees to leave the country and advised American citizens against travel to South Sudan. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf declined to call the violence in South Sudan a coup, saying, “It’s too early to determine what sparked the violence.” Harf, at a briefing in Washington, called on the country’s government “to respect the rule of law, refrain from arbitrary arrests, and adhere to the principles laid out in their constitution.” Kiir declared an overnight curfew Dec. 16 after fighting began a day earlier between soldiers at an army barracks, leaving 40 people dead. More than 16,000 people have sought refuge at two United Nations compounds and thousands more want entry to the sites, Toby Lanzer, UN deputy special representative to South Sudan, said on Al-Jazeera yesterday.

Ethnic Groups The death toll may rise because it doesn’t include casualties at a military hospital, Health Ministry Undersecretary Makur Matur Kariom said yesterday. The UN Special Representative to South Sudan Hilde Johnson yesterday urged the country’s leaders “to refrain from any action that fuels ethnic tensions and exacerbates violence.” Kiir, a member of the Dinka ethnic group, fired Machar, a Nuer, along with the entire cabinet after the former deputy said he will contest the 2015 presidential elections. “Clearly the tensions have been there for a long time, and it will be difficult to bring everything back to normal,” Cedric Barnes, Horn of Africa Project Director at the Brussels-based International Crisis Group, said yesterday by phone from Nairobi, Kenya. “The events of the last 48 hours and the talk about ethnic groups being targeted will make existing disputes even more difficult to resolve.” (Read More on Bloomberg)

Gunfire heard in Juba for second day

IOL News, 18/12/2013 - Juba - The United Nations received reports from local sources in South Sudan on Tuesday that between 400 and 500 people had been killed and up to 800 wounded in the latest violence, and the government said it had arrested 10 politicians in connection with a “foiled coup”. “Two hospitals have recorded between 400 and 500 dead and (up to) 800 wounded,” a diplomat in New York said on condition of anonymity, citing an estimate United Nations peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous gave during a closed-door briefing for the 15-member body. Another diplomat confirmed Ladsous' remarks, adding that the United Nations was not in a position to verify the figures. Earlier on Tuesday, a South Sudanese health ministry official told Reuters that at least 26 people were dead after fighting in Juba between rival groups of soldiers from Sunday night into Monday morning. Sporadic gunfire and blasts continued up to Tuesday evening. The Juba government said it had arrested 10 major political figures and was hunting for its former vice- president, accusing him of leading a failed coup in the oil-producing country's capital, where gunfire rang out for a second day.

6

The prominence of the names, including former finance minister Kosti Manibe among those who had been detained, underlined the size of the rift in Africa's newest state, less than 2-1/2 years after it seceded from Sudan. The United States urged its citizens to leave the country immediately, and said it was suspending normal operations at its embassy. White House National Security Advisor Susan Rice in a post on Twitter said: “Deeply, deeply concerned by violence in South Sudan.” The White House said President Barack Obama was getting briefings on the situation. President Salva Kiir, dressed in military fatigues, said on television on Monday that forces loyal to former vice-president Riek Machar, whom he sacked in July, had attacked an army base in a bid to seize power.

South Sudan is one of the poorest and least developed countries in Africa despite its oil reserves, and it is plagued by ethnic fighting. The rift at the heart of its political elite will dismay oil companies that had been counting on a period of relative stability after South Sudan's independence so they could step up exploration. France's Total and some largely Asian groups, among them China's CNPC, have interests there. It will also be closely watched by South Sudan's neighbours, who include some of the continent's most promising economies, including Ethiopia and Kenya. French UN Ambassador Gerard Araud, president of the Security Council this month, told reporters the council was trying to get clarity on the situation in South Sudan and would again discuss the upsurge in violence there in the coming days. Kiir and Machar are from different ethnic groups that have clashed in the past. Machar leads a dissident faction inside the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and was planning to run for the presidency. Fighting erupted outside his compound in Juba on Tuesday, but his whereabouts were unknown, foreign affairs spokesman Mawien Makol Arik told Reuters. Machar has so far not released a statement.

The government on Tuesday accused him of being the “coup leader” and listed four other wanted men, including Pagan Amum, the SPLM's former Secretary General and the country's main negotiator in a prolonged oil dispute with Sudan. “Those who are still at large will be apprehended,” Information Minister Michael Makuei said in a statement on a government website. He said he believed they had fled to an area north of the capital. The 10 officials had been arrested “in connection with the foiled coup attempt,” the statement said. Around 16 000 people had taken refuge in UN compounds in Juba by noon on Tuesday and the numbers were rising, the United Nations said. Streets were empty at the start of a dawn-to-dusk curfew, ordered by the president. Cellphone signals were down for a second day. “Food and water are an issue for the population as they don't have fridges or city power so they buy food almost daily,” said one aid worker in Juba, who asked not to be identified. “They haven't stocked up and are getting worried.” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke to Kiir on Tuesday and called for his government to provide an “offer of dialogue to its opponents and to resolve their respective differences peacefully”. The president, who comes from South Sudan's dominant Dinka ethnic group, sacked Machar, a Nuer, after mounting public frustration at the government's failure to deliver tangible improvements in public services and other basic demands. The government played down suggestions that the conflict had an ethnic element, and said Kiir had met Nuer leaders to dispel the “misleading information” that they were being targeted. Tensions have been building in the army, broadly along ethnic lines, independently of the Kiir-Machar rivalry, said analysts. “The personalities involved are clearly important, but we think this is more fundamentally about the SPLA rather than necessarily being completely controlled by the SPLM political figures,” said Cedric Barnes, Crisis Group project director for the Horn of Africa, based in Nairobi. South Sudan is the size of France but has barely any paved roads. The government's critics complain it suffers the same ills as old Sudan - corruption, poor public services and repression by the state of opponents and the media.

7 E. Equatoria declares curfew as Juba violence continues

Sudan Tribune, 18/12/2013 (TORIT) - South Sudan’s has declared a curfew in its state capital Torit in reponse to the on-going violence in Juba, where fighting between members of the presidential guard began on late Sunday evening. Eastern Equatoria’s minister of information, Clement Laku, called for citizens to be calm and to distance themselves from the developments in Juba, urging them to remain in their homes. Louis Lobong Lojore, the state governor, said the situation in Juba was now calm. Those behind the attack, if found, will be tried in the courts of law, he stressed. Any person who wants power should wait for elections, he said, in reference to the allegation by South Sudan’s president, Salva Kiir, which his former deputy Riek Machar was behind the attack. Kiir has described the fighting as a coup attempt but other reports contradict this. The South Sudanese leader has announced a dusk-to-dawn curfew in Juba, saying justice would prevail on those behind the attack. "The curfew will start from 6pm to 6am local time in Juba", Kiir told reporters on Monday. While speaking at a press conference in Juba, Kiir, who was clad in full military attire, said “a group of soldiers allied to the former vice-president Dr Riek Machar and his group” attacked the army headquarters near Juba University.

President Kiir described Machar as a "prophet of doom [who] continues to persistently pursue his actions of the past", making reference to the 1991 split in which the ex-vice president defected from the southern-based rebel group during its civil war with Sudan. The ruling SPLM, Kiir said, "is fully committed to the peaceful and democratic transfer of power and will never allow political power to be transferred through violence." Sunday’s nights infighting between the president guards came after around 160 senior SPLM politicians, including South Sudan’s 10 state governor’s participated in the ruling party’s controversial National Liberation Council meeting. South Sudan’s transitional constitution, introduced at independence in July 2011, state’s that all political parties must have their basic documents approved in order to register to take part in the 2015 elections. Approving the documents has proved troublesome for the ruling party and internal dissent has increased since President Kiir sacked many senior members of his cabinet, including his deputy Riek Machar. The SPLM’s suspended secretary general Pagan Amum, Machar and many others boycotted the meeting and now, following the clashes in Juba, stand accused of attempting to oust President Kiir’s government. Speaking at Torit airstrip, Eastern Equatoria governor Louis Lobong Lojore, on his return from attending the key SPLM meeting said that Amum needed to account for losses incurred during his tenure or face the law. Amum, who has been banned from speaking to the media or travelling outside South Sudan, denies the charges against him.

U.N. told up to 500 killed in South Sudan clashes: diplomats

Reuters, 18/12/2013 BY ANDREW GREEN AND LOUIS CHARBONNEAU The United Nations received reports from local sources in South Sudan on Tuesday that between 400 and 500 people had been killed and up to 800 wounded in the latest violence, and the government said it had arrested 10 politicians in connection with a "foiled coup". "Two hospitals have recorded between 400 and 500 dead and (up to) 800 wounded," a diplomat in New York said on condition of anonymity, citing an estimate United Nationspeacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous gave during a closed-door briefing for the 15-member body. Another diplomat confirmed Ladsous' remarks, adding that the United Nations was not in a position to verify the figures. Earlier on Tuesday, a South Sudanese health ministry official told Reuters that at least 26 people were dead after fighting in Juba between rival groups of soldiers from Sunday night into Monday morning. Sporadic gunfire and blasts continued up to Tuesday evening. The Juba government said it had arrested 10 major political figures and was hunting for its former vice president, accusing him of leading a failed coup in the oil-producing country's capital, where gunfire rang out for a second day.

8 The prominence of the names, including former finance minister Kosti Manibe among those who had been detained, underlined the size of the rift in Africa's newest state, less than 2-1/2 years after it seceded from Sudan. The United States urged its citizens to leave the country immediately, and said it was suspending normal operations at its embassy.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, on a visit to the typhoon-ravaged central Philippine city of Tacloban, urged a "peaceful and democratic" solution. "The United States believes very strongly that all parties should refrain from any action that could further escalate the tensions," Kerry told reporters. "Political differences need to be resolved by peaceful and democratic means, those that have been hard fought for." The White House said President Barack Obama was getting briefings on the situation. President Salva Kiir, dressed in military fatigues, said on television on Monday that forces loyal to former vice president Riek Machar, whom he sacked in July, had attacked an army base in a bid to seize power. South Sudan is one of the poorest and least developed countries in Africa despite its oil reserves, and it is plagued by ethnic fighting.

The rift at the heart of its political elite will dismay oil companies that had been counting on a period of relative stability after South Sudan's independence so they could step up exploration. France's Total and some largely Asian groups, among them China's CNPC, have interests there. It will also be closely watched by South Sudan's neighbors, which include some of the continent's most promising economies, including Ethiopia and Kenya. After its meeting on the crisis in New York, the U.N. Security Council issued a statement saying it "urged all parties to immediately cease hostilities, exercise restraint and refrain from violence and other actions that could exacerbate tensions."

French U.N. Ambassador Gerard Araud, president of the council this month, told reporters the council would meet again in coming days on the upsurge in violence in South Sudan.

THOUSANDS TAKE SHELTER Kiir and Machar are from different ethnic groups that have clashed in the past. Machar leads a dissident faction inside the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and was planning to run for the presidency. Fighting erupted outside his compound in Juba on Tuesday, but his whereabouts were unknown, foreign affairs spokesman Mawien Makol Arik told Reuters. Machar has so far not released a statement. The government on Tuesday accused him of being the "coup leader" and listed four other wanted men, including Pagan Amum, the SPLM's former Secretary General and the country's main negotiator in a prolonged oil dispute with Sudan. "Those who are still at large will be apprehended," Information Minister Michael Makuei said in a statement on a government website. He said he believed they had fled to an area north of the capital. The 10 officials had been arrested "in connection with the foiled coup attempt," the statement said. Around 16,000 people had taken refuge in U.N. compounds in Juba by noon on Tuesday and the numbers were rising, the United Nations said. Streets were empty at the start of a dawn-to-dusk curfew, ordered by the president. Mobile phone signals were down for a second day. "Food and water are an issue for the population as they don't have fridges or city power so they buy food almost daily," said one aid worker in Juba, who asked not to be identified. "They haven't stocked up and are getting worried." U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke to Kiir on Tuesday and called for his government to provide an "offer of dialogue to its opponents and to resolve their respective differences peacefully". The president, who comes from South Sudan's dominant Dinka ethnic group, sacked Machar, a Nuer, after mounting public frustration at the government's failure to deliver tangible improvements in public services and other basic demands. The government played down suggestions that the conflict had an ethnic element, and said Kiir had met Nuer leaders to dispel the "misleading information" that they were being targeted.

9 Tensions have been building in the army, broadly along ethnic lines, independently of the Kiir-Machar rivalry, said analysts. "The personalities involved are clearly important, but we think this is more fundamentally about the SPLA rather than necessarily being completely controlled by the SPLM political figures," said Cedric Barnes, Crisis Group project director for the Horn of Africa, based in Nairobi. South Sudan is the size of France but has barely any paved roads. The government's critics complain it suffers the same ills as old Sudan - corruption, poor public services and repression by the state of opponents and the media. (Additional reporting by Drazen Jorgic, Edmund Blair and George Obulutsa in Nairobi, Michelle Nichols in New York, Mark Felsenthal in Washington, and Leslie Wroughton in the Philippines; Writing by Drazen Jorgic and Edmund Blair; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Vicki Allen)

South Sudan Forces Loyal to Ex-Vice President Take Jonglei Towns

Bloomberg, 18/12/2013 - By Mading Ngor -South Sudanese army forces loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar captured two towns in Jonglei state from government forces in a sign of a worsening ethnic divide in the world’s newest nation. Ethnic Nuer troops loyal to Machar are defecting in Jonglei state from the army under the control of President Salva Kiir, who belongs to the Dinka group. The government accused Machar of staging an attempted coup on Dec. 15 and is seeking to arrest him. Fighting in the capital, Juba, forced 16,000 people to seek shelter at two United Nations compounds. “Forces loyal to Riek Machar are in control of Malual Caat and Panpandiar,” army spokesman Philip Aguer said today by phone from Juba. Fighting is continuing around Pakuau, about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) outside of Bor, he said. The defecting troops in Jonglei are under the command of a Machar loyalist, General Peter Gatdet Yak, said Philip Thon Leek, Member of Parliament for Jonglei state, by phone from Juba. Kiir declared an overnight curfew Dec. 16 after fighting began a day earlier between soldiers at an army barracks, leaving at least 40 people dead, according to the Health Ministry. The UN Special Representative to South Sudan Hilde Johnson yesterday urged the country’s leaders “to refrain from any action that fuels ethnic tensions and exacerbates violence.” Kiir fired Machar along with the entire cabinet after the former deputy said he will contest the 2015 presidential elections.

South Sudan violence spreads wider

Telegraph, 18/12/2013 - Fighting between opposing ethnic military groups in South Sudan has spread from the capital to the rural state of Jonglei, and the death toll has reportedly reached 500. A South Sudanese military spokesman said troops in Jonglei, the largest state in South SudanSudan, clashed overnight. About 20,000 people have sought refuge at UN facilities in Juba, the capital, since fighting started on Sunday, and on Tuesday the United States ordered its citizens to leave the country immediately. President Salva Kiir said in an address to the nation he had foiled a coup attempt by a group of soldiers loyal to former vice president Riek Machar, who is now the subject of a manhunt by Sudan's military. Foreign minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin said that Mr Machar is believed to have fled Juba and that the government believes he is in hiding. "If he wants to become president, he needs to wait for elections," Mr Benjamin said. "He wants to be president, but in the wrong way." At least 10 political leaders have been arrested over their roles in the coup. The clashes are pitting soldiers from the majority Dinka tribe of Kiir against those from Mr Machar's Nuer ethnic group. Casie Copeland, the South Sudan analyst for the International Crisis Group, said key Nuer leaders in the army are defecting in Jonglei, in an escalation of the conflict.

10 Governor Urges Citizens to Maintain Peace

Gurtong, 18/12/2013 - By Ariik Atekdit - MALAKAL, The State Acting Governor John Ivo Mounto has urged citizens to maintain peace in Malakal and avoid interpretation the SPLM power wrangling as a tribal conflict. Mounto said the clashes which occurred in Juba were not between Dinka and Nuer but a major political power wrangling within the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) party in South Sudan that has amounted into a “coup attempt.” Ivo said the fact that Dr. Riek Machar is a Nuer and Salva Kiir being Dinka does not prove that it is the two communities that can take the responsibility of confronting each other. He said all SPLA soldiers and other organized forces in Malakal should not wear military khakis or carry guns at random but only if on duty. “Only patrolling forces should carry guns and be in uniforms. All weapons must be stored and any gathering that discusses this issue on tribal lines should be questioned. We want peace,” he urged. “I wonder why our people want to transfer SPLM problem into a Dinka and Nuer conflict. This is not tribal war but a coup attempt. What do communities understand about SPLM political disagreement?” he asked. The governor urged citizens to stay away from violence and continue doing their normal activities in town. “We need to reject those voices that call for violence and work for peace and protect all citizens regardless of their tribes,” he said. Ivo urged citizens not to listen to voices that fuel political issues into tribal conflict to make innocent members of the society suffer. Ivo cautioned that some bad wishers have interest to transfer Juba clashes to states and cause disorder and chaos over the country. “Why should we expect bad things to happen to our fellow brothers and sisters? It is a responsibility of all to stop any ill intentions that may cause violence in Malakal. I will not allow that to happen while here,” he said. The government spokesperson confirmed the arrest of the master minders of the failed coup attempt in Juba. Michael Makuei Lueth has said a group of politicians led by Riek Machar involved in organizing the coup to topple the government are now under arrest. The spokesperson explained that the arrested people include Oyai Deng Jak, Gier Chuang Aluong, Deng Alor Kuol, Kosti Manibe Ngai, Ezekiel Lol Gatkuth, John Luk Jok, Chol Tong Mayai, Majak D’ Agoot, Cirino Hiteng Ofuho and Madut Biar Yel. He said the government is still pursuing to arrest Peter Adwok Nyaba, Pagan Amum and Alfred Lodu Gore. He said Riek Machar and run out of Juba and are being pursued.

Jonglei capital under attack by SPLA defectors (Radio Tamazuj)

Radio Tamazuj, 18/12/2013 - The capital of South Sudan’s largest state Jonglei came under attack at dawn today causing a mass exodus of people as the government prepares for the possibility of another imminent assault. Pan-pandiar army (SPLA) headquarters and Malual-chaat military camps around Bor may have been overrun. A state government official attributed the clashes to defections within SPLA Division 8, saying fighting broke out about 2:30 a.m. in Pan-pandiar and Malual-chaat military camps and moved into Bor town by about 5 a.m. The official at the rank of director-general said that he expects the defectors to make another attack on the town this evening. He estimated the number of defectors at “more than 2000” from different organized forces including SPLA, Wildlife, and Prisons. He added that seven soldiers died in the fighting so far.

Civilians flee Bor centre remains for now under the control of South Sudan’s military and police, but much of the civilian population has fled as fighting continues on the outskirts. According to a teacher called Daniel who fled to the outskirts of Bor town, almost half of the town populations have fled. "People are fleeing outside Bor town because there is no protection," said the teacher. “The civilians are being killed without protection." The teacher says that he saw 3 people killed in their homes, all civilians, including one shot in the chest, a second in the head and another cut at the throat.

11 Another local resident told Radio Tamazuj, “As we are speaking now there are some gunshots in some parts of thw town especially in the eastern part of the town.” Many people have sought protection at the UNMISS base. No patrols from the UN were seen in the town, but only SPLA soldiers and police. Others have hidden in their homes. A third civilian source reported that “people are now completely in their houses” amid ongoing gunfights and mortar fire. Population armed Bor’s civilian population is apparently rearming as the conflict escalates. Yesterday a government weapons depot at Kibek on the outskirts of town was emptied. “All the weapons and munitions disappeared,” said a government source in the area. He explained that the weapons were likely now in the hands of Dinka Bor civilians. Elsewhere, there have also been clashes in Akobo County but details are unconfirmed. Defections of Lou Nuer fighters from SPLA units in the eastern county of Pibor were reported yesterday.

At Least 19 Civilians Killed In Bor Town

Gurtong, 18/12/2013 - The South Sudan Red Cross society has reported that at least 19 people have been confirmed dead in Bor town during last night’s shooting and five others are wounded now receiving treatment at United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) compound in the town. The Director of South Sudan Red Cross (SSRC) David Gai said that the humanitarian situation is worse because most of the displaced people have no shelters, food, and access to drinking water.

Gai said that 19 have been confirmed by SSRC during their normal assessment which they have conducted today after the community disserted their home areas. Gai said that they have not accessed the areas captured by Peter Gadet due to insecurity.

He said that SSRC is giving water assistance to displaced people in three locations around Bor town. Forces loyal to Peter Gadet are still maintaining their positions at Malaul-chaat, the center located at about five kilometres away from Bor town and Pan-Pandiar which is about 30 kilometres from Bor. (READ: Tension High Over Fighting In Jonglei)

Local community reported that the attackers have been seen patrolling in areas of Kolnyang payam today. On Sunday, the authorities of Pochalla County informed Gurtong that SPLA soldiers killed a deputy director of education and that Nuer tribesmen left Pibor town on Monday after the heavy fight in Juba was reported.

Mutiny forces attack Jonglei military camps

Sudan Tribune, 18/12/2013 - (BOR) – Key military installations in Jonglei state’s Bor County came under heavy attack on Tuesday, forcing out hundreds of soldiers loyal to South Sudanese president Salva Kiir’s government to flee.

The attack, which occurred between 1am and 3.30am (local time) in the Pan-pandiar army (SPLA) headquarters and Malual-chaat military camps around Bor, was reportedly launched by mutinying forces led by Gen. Peter Gadet Yaak.

An army source, who is currently on the run, told Sudan Tribune that Gadet forces had taken control of heavy artilleries and tanks in Pan-pandiar.

“They have defeated us. We were outnumbered. We ran away from Pan-pandiar, some are in the bush and some are now going to Pariak. We shall see where he (Gadet) will move to in the morning”, the soldier said.

12 Another source said shooting began about 1am when Gadet forces began firing on the military compound at Pan-pandiar. Two high ranking officials from the Dinka tribe are suspected to have been killed in the attack.

The source said SPLA soldiers at the barracks had come under heavy fire from artilleries, tanks, motor bombs and rocket launchers.

“They first targeted places where highly ranking officers reside. I did not see any of them escaping. I tried to ask their body guards but nobody seemed to have knowledge about their whereabouts”, he added.

The source said residents of the nearby Pan-pandiar village, located next to the military barracks had fled to a nearby forest. It is believed that some civilians may have been caught up in the cross-fire.

Phillip Aguer, the army spokesperson confirmed the incident when contacted by Sudan Tribune on Wednesday.

“Yes, some clashes took place last night in Malualchat army base located south of Bor”, Aguer said by phone, without providing further details.

Gunfire was also reported in Bor slum area Ci-Nuer-Ben, largely inhabited by members of the Nuer tribe.

Pakuau, a key road junction that leads to the capital Juba and Pibor, including the airport, reportedly experienced rampant shooting throughout the night and continuing until Wednesday morning.

Many Bor residents fled their homes during the night amid safety fears, but were unable to access the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) compound for protection as the roads were too dangerous to pass.

“We are now moving toward Malou and Leng-guet, we don’t know what will happen next in Bor”, said Ajang Thuch, who lives on a block near Ci-Nuer-ben.

The latest incidents in Jonglei followed the killing of three people from the Dinka Bor ethnic group on Monday, which authorities say is related to infighting among the country’s army which began late on Sunday evening in Juba.

Hundreds of troops deployed around Bor from Pan-pandiar and believed to be under the command of Gadet had not yet shown aggression towards civilians.

However, South Sudanese military intelligence official Gabriel Ajak confirmed to Sudan Tribune that Gadet was behind the military raid and shooting in Bor, saying he had escaped to Kolnyang payam (district) about 25kms from Pan-pandiar, where he is now reorganising his forces.

“Gadet is the man behind all these messes. He escaped in a convoy of five military land cruisers, including jeeps, to Kolnyang. He will be operating from there”, said Ajak by telephone while preparing to evacuate his family from Bor.

Gadet has long been fighting SPLA forces from his bases in the bush. In 2012, he led a division which carried out a disarmament campaign against rebels loyal to David Yau Yau.

There are unconfirmed reports that are number of soldiers and civilians were killed in the night shooting in Bor, although Ajak said he had no information on the figures.

Phillip Thon Nyok, a lawmaker from the state, said at least three children drowned last night as their parents attempted to cross the River Nile.

Unrest has been building in and around Bor, following Sunday evening’s attack on an SPLA barracks in Juba in what president Kiir has described as an attempted coup by forces loyal to former vice-president Riek Machar.

13 Bor residents say people are dividing along tribal lines, reflecting how the sporadic shooting in Juba is being interpreted.

Regional/Global

Sudan says Juba unrest won’t impact cooperation agreements

Sudan Tribune - 18/12/2013 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese government on Tuesday said it does not expect the ongoing unrest in South Sudan’s capital of Juba to affect implementation of the cooperation agreements signed between the two countries since last year. "This is an internal situation from which the south is suffering and it is difficult to talk right now about the implementation of the agreements between the two countries," Sudan’s ambassador in Juba Mutrif Sideeg told the pro-government Ashorooq TV. "I confirm that the process of cooperation will not be impacted, but we will be working to have it proceed as planned as soon as things return to normal," Sideeg added. Last weekend clashes erupted between military units that the government in Juba called a coup attempt and blamed it on former VP Riek Machar and other senior officials from the country’s ruling party of Sudan people Liberation Movement (SPLM). Today the South Sudan government announced that it arrested ten former officials and that it is seeking the arrest of Machar, suspended SPLM Secretary General Pagan Amum, former Unity governor Taban Deng and other ex-ministers. A curfew was imposed by Juba though it has not stopped intense gunfire from erupting yesterday and today.

Diplomats in New York said that the United Nations peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous told a closed session of the UN Security Council (UNSC) today that according to local sources, the hospitals recorded approximately 500 deaths and 800 injuries. Sideeg said that they have no reports of Sudanese deaths or injuries though he noted that stray bullets may have hit some of their nationals. He added that they should have a clearer picture on Wednesday. The envoy said that the situation in Juba has stabilized since Tuesday afternoon with the exception of sporadic gunfire in the evening.

Turkey issues travel warning to South Sudan

Daily News Turkey- 18/12/2013 - Turkey has issued a travel warning to southern Sudan for Turkish nationals due to clashes in the country following a reported coup attempt against President Salva Kiir. In a written statement on Dec. 18, Foreign Ministry cited clashes in Juba and warned that the situation posed a security concern for foreign citizens. The ministry underlined that Turkish nationals should avoid travel to this country unless it was strictly necessary. Up to 500 dead in South Sudan clashes: UN

Clashes between rival army factions in South Sudan have left up to 500 dead and 800 wounded, a top UN official told the UN Security Council on Tuesday, Agence France-Presse has reported.

The United Nations has been told by local hospitals that between 400 and 500 people have been killed in South Sudan's capital since Sunday, UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous told the council, according to diplomats who attended a private briefing with him.

Troops loyal to President Salva Kiir have been fighting rival followers of former vice president Riek Machar. Salva Kiir has accused the rival camp of staging a coup.

Between 15,000 and 20,000 people have sought refuge in UN compounds around Juba, Ladsous was quoted as saying.

Ladsous told the council that the United Nations had not been able to verify the toll given by two hospitals

14 in the capital, Juba.

Security Council president Gerard Araud, France's UN ambassador, said after the emergency consultations that while the number of dead had not been confirmed "there is a heavy toll, it is obvious." Araud added that fighting had also been reported outside of the capital, in Pibor in Jonglei state which has a history of clashes between rival ethnic groups. The government said 10 key figures including ex-ministers have been arrested, but that Riek Machar was on the run.

Araud said the fighting appeared to be on ethnic lines. Salva Kiir is an ethnic Dinka while Riek Machar is a Nuer.

A Security Council statement expressed "serious concern" over the fighting that has caused "large numbers of casualties, as well as over the risk of targeted violence against certain communities." The council called on both sides to "immediately cease hostilities." UN leader Ban Ki-moon spoke with Salva Kiir on Tuesday and urged him to offer "dialogue" with the opposition. Ban also spoke with the president of neighboring Uganda, Yoweri Musseveni, about the unrest, officials said.

The Security Council also said Salva Kiir's government should hold talks with the opposition.

The Security Council meeting was called at the request of the United States which has ordered non-essential diplomatic staff out of South Sudan.

Kenyans trapped at Juba UN camp

The Standard Digital - 18/12/2013 - By KURIAN MUSA and CYRUS OMBATI All border points were closed moments later by the South Sudan government and all flights that go through Juba have been cancelled. According to Eunice Achieng Oballa, one of the Kenyans stranded in the South Sudan town border, she was to travel through Juba Airport but the occurrence changed her plans. The town of Mabania is the operation point of most NGOs including UNICEF, Fao, and World Health Organisation that have employed hundreds of professionals from Kenya. Ms Oballa who spoke to The Standard on Phone said: “We are advised to observe our own security and keep vigil on our communication gadgets and also to keep enough drinking water because it is not known what the scenario might be like.”

The young Oballa who works for Veterinary Sans Frontiers Germany Project in South Sudan, said there are about 20 Kenyans trapped at the United Nations camp and that the United Nations personnel seem overburdened. “We are stranded here and cannot move beyond the camp, we have sought refuge in here. It is a United Nations camp,” Said Achieng. Back in Nairobi, Achieng’s family expressed fear the Government has not done enough to save their kin from imminent danger across the border.

Meanwhile, Kenya’s former Foreign Affairs Assistant Minister Richard Onyonka has faulted Kenya and the Africa Union (AU) for the attempted coup in South Sudan on Sunday night. Onyonka said Kenya and AU failed to forestall the situation that had been anticipated a long time ago and challenged the leadership to swiftly move in and calm the parties involved. “The signals had been there but our leaders failed to move in and quell the tension. If they do not contain the situation it will become a regional problem and worse than what we have seen there,” said Onyonka.

He added the problem pits the main tribal groups Dinka and Nuer and urged President Uhuru Kenyatta to focus on South Sudan and ensure it is addressed to safeguard the region and more than 40,000 Kenyans working there with their property

Onyonka said the failure for South Sudan’s referendum and election to hold will be blamed on Kenya and AU, which were its guarantors and needed to monitor the development of all internal matters. “Why both Kenya and AU failed is an issue that we need to know because it is in our benefit that South Sudan matures and becomes stable,” he said. Onyonka said if the crisis persists, parties should ensure there is a safe corridor to enable foreigners there leave safely. South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir said Monday an

15 attempted coup by soldiers loyal to his sacked former deputy Riek Machar had been put down. It came after heavy gunfire overnight Sunday, Monday and yesterday in the capital, Juba. Mr Kiir said the government was in full control of the capital, and announced a night-time curfew for civilians. Tensions have been high in South Sudan - the world’s youngest country - since President Kiir dismissed his entire cabinet, including Vice President Riek Machar, in July in an apparent power struggle. Mr Machar, who had indicated he planned to contest the presidential elections in 2015.

US urges citizens to leave South Sudan amid unrest

Times Live, 18/12/2013 - Facing an escalating threat of violence, about 13 000 people sought refuge at UN facilities in Juba, the capital, where sporadic but heavy gunfire has been heard since Sunday as factions of the armed forces repeatedly clashed across the city. The US Embassy said in an advisory Tuesday that Americans who choose to stay in South Sudan “should review their personal security situation and seriously reconsider their plans.” The embassy suspended its normal operations. President Salva Kiir told the nation on Monday that a group of soldiers loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar, who he fired in July amid a power struggle, tried to take power by force but were defeated. Kiir then ordered a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the capital. The alleged coup attempt took place Sunday when some soldiers raided the main army barracks’ weapons store in Juba but were repelled by loyalists, sparking gunfights across the city, Foreign Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin told The Associated Press. At least 26 people, mostly soldiers, have died in the violence, according to Makur Maker, a senior Ministry of Health official. Others put the casualties in the hundreds.

There are “disturbing reports of ethnically-targeted killings,” with most of the fighting pitting soldiers from Kiir’s majority Dinka tribe against those from Machar’s Nuer tribe, said Casie Copeland, the South Sudan analyst for the International Crisis Group. “The fighting has been fierce and parts of Juba have been reduced to rubble,” she said. “Reported casualty figures are well over 500 and we should expect this figure to increase.” The South Sudanese military has arrested five political leaders with suspected links to the coup attempt and many more are still being sought, Benjamin said. The government later said in a statement that 10 people have been arrested in connected with the alleged coup plot, and five remain at large, including Machar. The US Embassy in Juba and the UN Mission in South Sudan have denied they are harboring Machar, Benjamin added. The hunt for Machar, an influential politician who is one of the heroes of a brutal war for independence waged against Sudan, threatens to send the world’s youngest country into further political upheaval. Machar, the deputy leader of the ruling party, said he would contest the presidency in 2015. He has openly criticized Kiir, saying if South Sudan is to be united it cannot tolerate “one man’s rule or it cannot tolerate dictatorship.” The international community has repeatedly urged South Sudan’s leaders to exercise restraint amid fears the violence could spark wider ethnic violence. UN chief Ban Ki-moon told Kiir in a telephone call Tuesday that he expected him “to exercise real leadership at this critical moment, and to instill discipline in the ranks of the (Sudanese military) to stop this fighting among them,” according to UN spokesman Martin Nesirky. Ban’s office later issued a statement saying the secretary general is “deeply concerned” about “the risk of targeted violence against certain communities.” He urged everyone to immediately cease their hostilities. The oil-rich East African nation has been plagued by ethnic tension since it broke away from Sudan in 2011. In the rural Jonglei state, where the government is trying to put down a rebellion, the military itself faces charges of widespread abuses against the Murle ethnic group.

Kenyans trapped in Juba fighting appeal for rescue

Daily Nation, 18/12/2013 - Thousands of Kenyans trapped in the fighting in South Sudan on Tuesday made desperate appeals to the government to be evacuated.

16 With the international airport in Juba closed and road transport too dangerous because of fighting between supporters of South Sudan President Salva Kiir and his onetime deputy Riek Machar, escape routes for civilians are limited. The Kenyan mission in the town has provided refuge to some Kenyans but those still holed up in their homes said they were running out of food and water.

Nearly 70 people, mainly soldiers, were reported killed in the confrontation. The African Union called for restraint among the combatants and appealed to both sides to avoid anything that would reignite ethnic war in South Sudan. Foreign Affairs PS Karanja Kibicho said Kenya will push for the establishment of a safe corridor to allow the evacuation of its citizens if the situation continued to deteriorate. The government was monitoring the situation and if the fighting persists it will ask for a safe corridor to evacuate Kenyans, he said. “There’s no cause for alarm. We are monitoring as we care about our citizens. If there’s need to evacuate them we shall do so. South Sudan is a friendly nation and we would not want to take action that would show they are not in charge yet they have taken charge of all key installations,” Dr Kibicho said by phone. He said the South Sudan government had promised to open the airport on Wednesday. He added that there was another challenge facing Kenyans in South Sudan as the country relies on food imports and that supply might end. The PS said there were no reported cases of Kenyan casualties as a result of the fighting.

INTENSE FIGHTING

“There might have been those who were affected, but it is difficult to establish. The embassy has not picked anyone,” Dr Kibicho added. He said 40 Kenyans who lived near the camps where fighting was intense were granted refuge at the Kenyan embassy in Juba. Dr Kibicho said gunshots in Juba ended on Tuesday morning and that “any other information to the contrary are lies.” A group of Kenyans and Ugandans trapped at the main bus park said heavy fighting was continuing in the area. The Nation reached Kenyans by telephone on Tuesday in the morning, before the networks went down, and later on social media, and they reported that they had no food or water. Many were still in their houses but others had fled to the Kenyan embassy and the United Nations compound. At least 16,000 people from various countries are now said to be camped at the UN premises. There are more than 30,000 Kenyans in Juba. The US government ordered an evacuation of all non-essential staff and dependants. The situation was worsened by the closure of Juba International Airport with no plane landing or taking off. Kenyan airlines Fly540 and Kenya Airways have suspended flights indefinitely. The main roads from Juba to Kenya and Uganda also remained closed on Tuesday. A source from Juba last evening told the Nation, fighting had resumed and that there was heavy shelling near State House where former Vice-President Riek Machar and President Salva Kiir’s houses are located. Some Kenyans in the embattled city shared their stories: (Read More)

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