South Sudan may be sliding back into war

JUBA/UNITED NATIONS: Renewed fighting erupted in South Sudan’ s capital on Sunday and forces loyal to Vice President Riek Machar said his residence was attacked

JUBA/UNITED NATIONS: Renewed fighting erupted in South Sudan’ s capital on Sunday and forces loyal to Vice President Riek Machar said his residence was attacked by President Salva Kiir’s troops, raising fears of a slide back into full-blown conflict in the five-year-old nation.

HT Image

India began to plan the evacuation of its national sand advised Indians not to travel to the country .“We are planning evacuation of Indian nationals ... Please register yourself with Indian Embassy and do not panic. Indian nationals are advised not to travel to South Sudan,” external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj wrote in a series of tweets on Monday.

Machar and Kiir, who fought each other in a two-year civil war that started in late 2013, had made a joint call for calm after clashes between rival factions broke out on Thursday. At least 272 people have been killed in the fighting, a government source said on Sunday. A Chinese UN peacekeeper was killed and several Chinese and Rwandan peacekeepers injured, Japan’ s UN ambassador, Koro Bessho, said on Sunday after the UN Security Council was briefed on the situation.

The United Nations mission said UN compounds in Juba had been hit by small arms and heavy weapons fire. UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon urged the Security Council on Monday to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan, sanction leaders and commanders who are blocking the implementation of the peace deal.