Heavy Clashes Again Erupt In South Sudan
MEP: Heavy exchanges of gunfire and shooting has resumed in South Sudan as more than 200 people were killed during the weekend in the suburb of Jebel.
The clashes broke out between supporters of President Salva Kiir and Vice-President Riek Machar.
Al Jazeera staff in the city on Sunday heard loud booms, characteristic of heavy weapons, and gunfire coming from the area near the airport, which local sources said had closed. In a post on Twitter, Kenya Airways said they had suspended flights to Juba “due to [the] uncertain security situation”.
Meanwhile, an aid worker based in Juba also told Reuters that for about 30 to 40 minutes they heard sounds of heavy artillery in the direction of Jebel area.
“Three helicopter gunships have just come now and bombed our side,” William Gatjiath Deng, a spokesman for Machar’s military faction, told the Associated Press news agency.
The violence has raised fears of renewed instability, with a 2015 peace deal failing to quell unrest.
Those killed in the clashes started from Thursday to Saturday were mostly civilians and soldiers.
