Category: Sudan

The United Nations provided sobering details on Friday of an assault on a peacekeeping base in South Sudan that underscored the organization’s fragile ability to protect civilians in the country, where sectarian mayhem has escalated in recent days. Two thousand armed youths of Nuer ethnicity overran the facility the previous day, killing at least 11 ethnic Dinka civilians seeking refuge and two Indian peacekeepers who had tried to protect them, the United Nations said. The assault on the base in the town of Akobo in Jonglei State on Thursday was among a number of alarming developments that have increased the fear of an impending civil war in South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, where ethnic hatreds, initially obscured after independence from Sudan two years ago, have been reaggravated and inflamed. Between 35,000 and 40,000 civilians have taken refuge in at least three other United Nations peacekeeping bases in the […]

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The U.N. says 34,000 people in South Sudan are seeking refuge at U.N. bases in three locations across the country. The U.N.’s humanitarian arm said Friday that 20,000 people are seeking shelter in the capital, Juba, while 14,000 are seeking shelter in Bor, the capital of Jonglei state, the scene of heavy violence this week. Several hundred people are seeking shelter in Bentiu, the capital of Unity State, where South Sudan’s oil fields are concentrated. The U.S. Embassy was flying out a fifth emergency evacuation flight on Friday. A German plane was also scheduled to fly out. Violence broke out among South Sudan’s presidential guard late Sunday night. Fighting spread across the country over the next several days, leading to fears of a civil war between ethnic groups. © 2013 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be […]

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The United Nations said on Friday it had sent helicopters to rescue personnel from a base in South Sudan that came under lethal attack as a political crisis worsened significantly and President Obama warned that the world’s youngest country “stands at the precipice.” The number of civilians seeking refuge in the United Nations’ other facilities there exceeded 30,000 and diplomats expressed fears about the potential for a civil war. Britain, which began evacuating its nationals on Thursday, said Friday that it would send a second airplane to Juba, the capital. “We strongly advise all British nationals in South Sudan to leave the country if they can do so safely,” the Foreign Office said, adding that it might become more difficult to escape if the situation worsened further. The United States suspended operations at its embassy in Juba this week and offered similar advice to Americans. On its […]

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In a sign of mounting international concern about fighting in South Sudan, Britain said on Thursday that it had dispatched an airplane to evacuate British nationals as clashes were reported to have spread following claims of an attempted coup. The Foreign Office said that around 150 of the estimated 500 Britons in the newly created country had been in touch with British officials, many of them wanting to leave the country. The developments came a day after the South Sudanese Army said that it had lost control of a town in the north of the country. South Sudan declared its independence in July 2011, after years of struggle to break away from the Arab-dominated north of Sudan. But in the past few days, President Salva Kiir has accused his former vice president, Riek Machar, of attempting to overthrow him — a charge Mr. Machar denied on Wednesday. […]

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Displaced Sudanese civilians arrive at the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) compound on the outskirts of the capital Juba in South Sudan 19 December 2013 Last updated at 08:22 Thousands of people are seeking refuge from the fighting in UN compounds South Sudanese rebels have taken over a key town, the military has said, as fighting continues after Sunday’s reported coup attempt. "Our soldiers have lost control of Bor to the force of Riek Machar," said army spokesman Philip Aguer. President Salva Kiir has accused Mr Machar, the former vice-president, of staging a coup – a claim he denies. The unrest, which began in the capital Juba, has already killed 500 people and sparked fears of a civil war. The United Nations has called for political dialogue to end the crisis, and Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said about 20,000 people had taken refuge in […]

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Displaced Sudanese civilians arrive at the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) compound on the outskirts of the capital Juba in South Sudan 19 December 2013 Last updated at 08:22 Thousands of people are seeking refuge from the fighting in UN compounds South Sudanese rebels have taken over a key town, the military has said, as fighting continues after Sunday’s reported coup attempt. "Our soldiers have lost control of Bor to the force of Riek Machar," said army spokesman Philip Aguer. President Salva Kiir has accused Mr Machar, the former vice-president, of staging a coup – a claim he denies. The unrest, which began in the capital Juba, has already killed 500 people and sparked fears of a civil war. The United Nations has called for political dialogue to end the crisis, and Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said about 20,000 people had taken refuge in […]

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The United Nations received reports from local sources in South Sudan on Tuesday that between 400 and 500 people had been killed and up to 800 wounded in the latest violence, and the government said it had arrested 10 politicians in connection with a "foiled coup". "Two hospitals have recorded between 400 and 500 dead and (up to) 800 wounded," a diplomat in New York said on condition of anonymity, citing an estimate United Nations peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous gave during a closed-door briefing for the 15-member body. Another diplomat confirmed Ladsous’ remarks, adding that the United Nations was not in a position to verify the figures. Earlier on Tuesday, a South Sudanese health ministry official told Reuters that at least 26 people were dead after fighting in Juba between rival groups of soldiers from Sunday night into Monday morning. Sporadic gunfire and blasts continued […]

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South Sudanese President Salva Kiir imposed a curfew after soldiers supporting former Vice President Riek Machar tried to overthrow the government last night. The government is in control after attacks in the city, including one at at a meeting of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation movement, at 6 p.m., Kiir told reporters in the capital, Juba. The curfew will be enforced between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., he said. The governments of the U.S. and U.K. warned citizens in Juba to be careful amid reports that fighting was ongoing. “They tried an attempted coup but it failed,” Kiir said. “We are not going to say whom we have arrested and how many.” Kiir fired Machar in July along with the entire cabinet after the former deputy said he will contest the 2015 presidential elections against Kiir. The winner of internal elections for the ruling party will be the party’s […]

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Sporadic gunfire rang out early Monday in the South Sudan capital, Juba, in what a senior military official said were clashes between factions of the country’s military. Some military installations in Juba had come under attack from armed soldiers who have since been repulsed, said Col. Philip Aguer, the South Sudan military spokesman. He offered no more details, saying an investigation was underway and that the situation was tense but not likely to deteriorate. "So far the army is in full control of Juba," he said. An Associated Press reporter saw heavily armed soldiers patrolling the streets of Juba early Monday amid sporadic gunfire emerging from Juba’s main army barracks. There has been political tension in the world’s youngest nation since South Sudan President Salva Kiir fired Riek Machar as his deputy in July. Machar, who has expressed a willingness to contest […]

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The construction of South Sudan’s delayed first oil refinery is due to start before the end of the year, its government said Thursday, as the country seeks to end chronic fuel supply disruptions. The information ministry said in a statement that construction of the 5,000 barrel-a-day Bentiu Refinery in the Unity state was originally expected to begin in July but had been delayed, mainly due to bad road conditions that hindered equipment delivery. South Sudan took the majority of Sudan’s oil production when it became independent in 2011 but has no refineries of its own and has had to import fuel from Sudan or other neighboring countries. The Bentiu Refinery is key in helping the country to control escalating fuel prices caused by inflation, a weakening currency and disruptions along the main import route through Uganda caused by flooding. The plant […]

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