New York: The UN Security Council has called on warring factions in South
Sudan to immediately end the recent fighting and prevent the spread of
violence.
In a unanimous statement, the council
condemned the fighting “in the strongest terms” and expressed “particular shock
and outrage” at attacks on UN sites. It also called for additional peacekeepers
as a response.
Hundreds are reportedly killed in
clashes between rival groups since Friday. Forces loyal to Vice-President Riek
Machar say government troops supporting President Salva Kiir attacked their
positions in the capital, Juba. A spokesman for Machar told the BBC on Sunday
that the country was “back to war” — but Information Minister Michael Makuei
Lueth described reports of war as “dishonest”.
Calm was restored on Saturday, but
fighting resumed on Sunday morning. The UN mission said hundreds of people had
sought shelter in its compounds. UN officials said a Chinese peacekeeper was
killed and several Chinese and Rwandan troops injured.
In a statement on Sunday, the US
state department said it strongly condemned the latest outbreak of fighting in
Juba. Spokesman John Kirby said Washington had ordered the departure of
non-emergency personnel from the US embassy in Juba. The violence has raised
fears of renewed instability, with a 2015 peace deal failing to quell unrest.
Friday’s exchanges were apparently
sparked by a shootout between President Kiir’s and Machar’s bodyguards. At
least 150 died in the clashes.
South Sudan became an independent country in July 2011,
after more than 20 years of guerrilla warfare, which claimed the lives of at
least 1.5 million people and displaced more than four million.
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