South Sudanese emerge from makeshift shelters after heavy fighting

South Sudan’s residents on Tuesday began to emerge from a makeshift shelter in the Capital Juba as calm returns after a ceasefire silenced days of heavy fighting that destabilised the world’s newest nation.

However, some who took refuge in churches are too traumatized to return to their homes.

Displaced people had sought for shelter at the United Nations compound near Juba.

A displaced person Rosemary Mukoya said she got confused when fighting erupted as people were running in all directions.

“The gunshots were too much so we got confused, people were running. Since that time, since that Saturday till now, the bullet and the shooting, even at night we see the bullets in the air moving in red colour,” she said.

A clergyman at St. Joseph Church James Makuei said many were still worried and concerned about returning to their homes due to insecurity.

“We have roughly between 1,000 to 2,000 members that that are still sheltering here because they are still afraid of their security and there is no any guarantee, we are waiting to hear from the government,” h added.

According to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), a ceasefire in Juba appears to be largely holding, as barring sporadic gunfire and United Nations peacekeepers were able to carry out a limited number of short patrols on Tuesday. UNMISS also noted that the airport in the capital has been reopened, although commercial flights remain suspended.

The conflict killed thousands of people, forced more than 2.5 million people from their homes and left almost half the population of 11 million people struggling to find food.