Heavy gunfire erupted overnight in South Sudan’s capital Juba, embassies and witnesses said, saying the fighting appeared to have broken out in a barracks close to the city centre.
Statements from the US and British embassies in Juba urged their nationals to avoid unnecessary movements. The US embassy said there were “reports from multiple reliable sources of ongoing security incidents and sporadic gunfire in multiple locations across Juba”.
The British embassy, through its twitter account, advised British nationals to “stay at home and avoid movement unless necessary”.
According to the BBC, heavy gunfire and explosions were heard throughout the night in the capital.
The international airport has also been closed, with Kenya Airways confirming the cancellation of flight KQ 350.
The UN mission in Juba said staff there was under lockdown and that the shooting was continuous.
Media Correspondents say the firing appeared to be focused around military barracks in the city.
Army spokesman Phillip Aguer told residents to “remain in their residences until we establish the actual cause of the shootings”.
South Sudan broke away from Sudan after a referendum in 2011 and decades of conflict. Numerous armed groups remain active in the oil-rich country.
Tensions have been high since President Salva Kiir dismissed his deputy Riek Machar in July in an apparent power struggle.
A Reuters reporter in Juba said the fighting had gone on through the night but intensified in the early morning.
The army spokesman said the military regretted the situation but gave no details of casualties, the Sudan Tribune reports.
The UK and US embassies in Juba also urged their citizens via Twitter to stay indoors and exercise caution.
The US statement to citizens said the embassy had “received reports from multiple reliable sources of ongoing security incidents and sporadic gunfire in multiple locations across Juba”.
Agencies
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