JUBA, South Sudan—Renewed gunfights broke out across South Sudan’s capital Sunday between forces loyal to the president and those of the vice president, officials said Sunday, causing widespread casualties and raising fears that the country is returning to civil war.
The fighting hit a U.N. camp for displaced people sheltering from the violence, according to witnesses.
“The condition is really very bad. We have a lot of casualties this side, I think around 50 to 60 besides those of yesterday,” said Budbud Chol who oversees security at a clinic in the base. “We have civilian casualties. We have rocket-propelled grenades that have landed in the camp which has wounded eight people.” Among the wounded are five children and two women while the rest were men, he said.
At least one person has died in the camp, he said, but he did not know about casualties outside where the fighting is heavy.
Government forces attacked a rebel base in the Jebel area of the capital Sunday morning, said William Gatjiath Deng, a spokesman for the rebel forces.
“Three helicopter gunships have just come now and bombed our side,” he said.
South Sudan’s army confirmed the Sunday clashes but it is not clear how the fighting started, said army spokesman Lul Ruai Koang, who is in the SPLA general headquarters at Bilpham.
