Ceasefire holds for second day in South Sudan capital

A ceasefire in South Sudan's capital appeared to hold for a second straight day Wednesday after intense fighting that killed hundreds of people and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes.

No gunfire or artillery was heard in Juba and planes were seen leaving the international airport although commercial flights are yet to resume.

"No gunshots today. I have seen no tank, no helicopter," said a city resident who did not want to be named.

More people emerged on to the streets but many remain cautious after four days of heavy fighting that began in earnest on Friday evening, took a pause on Saturday -- the young country's fifth independence anniversary -- and resumed Sunday and Monday.

The death toll from Saturday and Sunday's battles is not yet known but around 300 were killed in just a few hours on Friday.

Adama Dieng, the UN Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, said some civilians "were reportedly targeted based on their ethnicity."

The United Nations said that around 36,000 people had fled their homes for the supposed safety of UN bases, churches and aid agency compounds.

Two Chinese UN peacekeepers were killed and others wounded in the days of fighting that was heaviest in an area called Jebel to the west of the city where ex-rebels had a military base close to a UN camp for people previously uprooted in the civil war that began in December 2013...
[i24news.tv]
13/7/16
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