UN warns of more violence as tension rises in S. Sudan
October 13, 2016 (JUBA)- The United Nations mission in South Sudan has warned of increasing violence in parts of the young nation, in the wake of continued attacks on civilian vehicles outside the capital, Juba.
Unknown gunmen attacked a bus on the Juba-Nimule road on Monday, robbing passengers of all belongings, including cash.
The attack has largely been blamed on the armed opposition faction elements operating in parts of the Equatoria region.
The UN also said it was being denied access to strife-hit parts of the country and condemned acts of violence and attacks against non-combatant civilians.
UNMISS also said it had been denied access to an area where around 21 civilians were reportedly killed in an ambush on the road between Juba and Yei county over the weekend.
Tension has been high in Juba with residents reporting the unusual deployment of soldiers on the streets, as rumours about president Salva Kiir’s death escalated.
South Sudan descended into war in mid-December 2013 after Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of a coup attempt in Juba.
Tens of thousands of people were killed and millions have been displaced in South Sudan’s worst ever violence since it broke away from Khartoum in 2011.
(ST)