Five South Sudanese soldiers killed in clashes with ex rebels

Five soldiers of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) have been killed in clashes with a group of former rebels in the capital Juba, a spokesman to first vice president Riek Machar has told the AFP.

“According to our information, five SPLA soldiers were killed and two wounded,” said the spokesman Nyarji Roman. The clashes and deaths have been confirmed by Defence Minister Kol Manyang according to AFP.

There were reports of sporadic gunfire on Thursday night in Juba. The situation led to the military blocking some roads, residents and a Reuters witness said.

“I heard a sound of gunshots and people were running everywhere,” Juba resident Ramdan Kazimiro told Reuters.

“The military put their cars in the middle of the road coming from Gudele…the whole area is (in) lock down by the government military,” another resident told Reuters.

The renewed situation led to residents hurrying to their homes for fear of escalation of violence. The UN Human Rights chief recently expressed fears of an escalation in violence following armed clashes in parts of the country.

South Sudan, Africa’s youngest nation was devastated by a war that broke out in December 2013 when President Salva Kiir sacked his vice president, Riek Machar.

Earlier on Thursday there was also shooting in Wau, a flashpoint town in the country’s northwest which forced at least 200 civilians to flee to a United Nations compound in the area for safety.