Gunfire continued in the capital from the early hours of Tuesday, a day after the announcement from President Salva Kiir of overturning a coup attempt, according to agencies.
Juba echoed with continued gunfire, including heavy firing from early morning. The gunfire was assumed to be coming from a military headquarter situated a few kilometers away from the capital.
Civilians were locked down in their homes as the city gave a deserted look with only military vehicles seen on the streets.
South Sudan’s Cabinet Affairs Minister Martin Elia Lomuro has reported the killing of at least 12 people in clashes that began shortly before midnight Sunday. He added that most of them were soldiers.
Local radio station have reported 130 injured persons hospitalized.
President Salva Kiir claimed that his troops were “in full control of the security situation in Juba”.
The government has blamed troops loyal to the former president Riek Machar responsible for the coup attempt and the clashes.
Machar was sacked from the government in July and now leads a dissident group within the ruling party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM).
South Sudan won its independence in 2011 after a referendum that voted to split from the north. But it has struggled with ethnic violence and corruption, and political tensions have worsened in recent weeks between rival factions in SPLM.
