Fresh fighting has broken out in South Sudan following a reported coup attempt. Several people have died in violence centred on the capital, Juba, which comes after months of political upheaval.
According to witness reports, gunfire resumed on Tuesday (December 17), a day after President Salva Kiir said security forces had successfully put down what he said was an attempted coup against his government. Sporadic shooting was also heard overnight, with the military “clearing out remnants” of a group of renegade soldiers accused of mounting the alleged coup, according to the foreign minister.
A manhunt has been initiated for former vice president Riek Machar, who is suspected by the government of being behind the failed plot.
South Sudan’s Under-Secretary for Health said on local radio that at least 26 people had been killed so far in the violence since Sunday evening, with a further 130 wounded. United Nations radio said at least 7,000 civilians had taken refuge at UN offices.
South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, has experienced months of a power struggle between Kiir and his former deputy. Kiir fired Machar from his post in July, raising fears of a political upheaval in the country. Machar has said he will contest the presidency in 2015, and has openly accused Kiir of establishing a dictatorship.
