Gunshots fired in Juba, curfew still on

UPDATE

The Red Cross says a few gunshots were fired Thursday night in Juba but the security situation remains unchanged.

 The curfew in town is still in effect between 6pm and 6am local time.

After some delays on Thursday due to an aircraft accident on the runway, Juba International airport is now fully operational again, says the team, adding that flights will be operational until curfew time Friday evening.

Rumors of an imminent attack on Juba rippled across the town.

According the Red Cross team, fighting in Bor/Jonglei has stopped, but the town is still under the control of mutineers, who are said to be receiving reinforcement from other parts of Jonglei (Akobo, Uror, Nyirol).

Many civilians have taken shelter at the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) compound in Bor, and several others have fled to the bush and remain unaccounted for.

Relocation flights have took off Thursday from Bor airstrip and reached Juba safely.

An UNMISS field base in Akobo was reportedly attacked by armed men and some fatalities including people working with the the UN were reported.

Information on the extent of the attack and the number of the injured is not yet available.

There has been reported fighting in Bentiu town in the recent hours. Multiple casualties, including civilians, were reported and the town’s market was partially looted.

Fighting between police forces and national security forces reportedly took place near the oil fields of Thar Jath, in the north-east of Leer town.

Generally, the Red Cross says the situation in Jonglei is deteriorating.

Ethnic tensions are increasing in the state, and to a lesser extent in the rest of the country. Juba and other towns remain highly unstable and the situation can still escalate to violence.