– Hundreds killed –
The current fighting between soldiers loyal to Kiir, a member of the Dinka tribe, and former rebels backing Machar, a Nuer, was triggered by a deadly altercation at a checkpoint on Thursday night.
That was followed by hours of violent confrontations on Friday evening that left at least 150 dead. Local media gave a higher figure of 270.
After a pause on Saturday – South Sudan’s fifth anniversary of independence – battles began in earnest on Sunday morning, continuing throughout the day in several parts of the city before subsiding overnight and resuming Monday.
It is unclear how many have been killed since Sunday.
The clashes are the first between the army and ex-rebels in Juba since Machar returned to take up the post of vice president in a unity government in April.
The violence marks a fresh blow to last year’s peace deal which has failed to end the civil war that broke out in December 2013, when Kiir accused Machar of plotting a coup.
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 Security Council on Sunday pressed South Sudan’s neighbours to help end the renewed fighting, asking for extra peacekeepers as well as demanding that Kiir and Machar rein in their forces.
It called for the two rivals to “genuinely commit themselves to the full and immediate implementation of the peace agreement, including the permanent ceasefire and redeployment of military forces from Juba.”
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was “shocked and appalled” at the violence in the world’s youngest nation.
Regional leaders plan to hold a special summit in Nairobi on Monday.
An appeal for calm by the South Sudan Council of Churches, representing the country’s bishops, was played repeatedly on the radio from Sunday while a South Sudanese civil society organisation said civilians had taken shelter in churches.
“We condemn all acts of violence without exception. The time for carrying and using weapons has ended, now is the time to build a peaceful nation,” the message said.
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