Ajongo said President Kiir did not leave the palace following the fighting between the armies but instead ‘protected Dr Machar’s life until 11.40 pm when he personally arranged for armed security escort to take him back safely to his residence in Jebel Kujor area.’
However, the Friday violence seemed to have been a culmination of tension that began few months ago with incidences of violence which Ajongo blamed on the SPLA-IO.
“Outside Juba, over the past few months, the SPLA-IO forces and allied armed groups have been creating insecurity in several parts of South Sudan.”
He said the SPLA-IO were; “roaming the streets at night while heavily armed, without clear purpose and refusing to stop at check-points, shooting at vehicles including a vehicle of the United States of America Embassy in Juba.”
He explained that a SPLA-IO officer was killed forcing the group to carry a revenge attack that claimed lives of five government soldiers in Gudelle on July 7.
Ajongo said calm had returned in Juba following peace talks between Kiir and Machar who he says are in control of their armies, a reason they have successfully called for ceasefire.
Though most of the 272 people killed were soldiers, the ambassador said innocent civilians belonging to certain ethnic groups were killed in Jebel Dinka, Jebel Kujor, Gudelle, Yei and other parts of Juba.
“This has been confirmed by UN forces who have visited these areas to collect bodies of civilians killed by anti peace elements of SPLA-IO,” he stated.
Ajongo said President Kiir was in full control of his army but alleged that SPLA-IO had ‘divided itself into two camps with one supporting the Compromise Peace Agreement (CPA) between IO and the government and the other working hard to destroy the peace agreement.’
