Fighting Continues In South Sudan After 'Coup'

Fierce gun battles continued in South Sudan overnight as troops loyal to the president fought rival soldiers accused of staging a coup.

Residents in the capital, Juba, barricaded themselves inside their homes as gunfire resumed in the early hours of Tuesday.

Oxfam worker Emma Jane Drew, who is working in Juba, told the AFP news agency that the atmosphere is extremely tense.

"We can still hear sporadic shooting from various locations. The situation is very tense," she said.

She said her team is holed up in their compound, unable to leave because of the fighting.

"It's continued shooting. Shooting could be heard all through the night. We don't know who is fighting who," she said.

South Sudan's president Salva Kiir (R)

Clashes began on Sunday after South Sudan's President Salva Kiir accused troops loyal to his arch-rival, former vice president Riek Machar who was sacked from the government in July, of a plot to overthrow the government.

On Monday, Mr Kiir said his troops were "in full control of the security situation in Juba" and imposed an overnight curfew.

However, the fighting resumed several hours later.

Officials said several former government ministers have been arrested over the violence, but the whereabouts of Mr Machar is unclear.

Former vice president Riek Machar

At least 26 people have been killed in the violence and 130 injured, according to South Sudan's Under-Secretary for Health Makur Korion.

Around 7,000 civilians have taken refuge at UN offices, according to UN radio.

Ms Drew told AFP there are unconfirmed reports of soldiers conducting violent house raids.

"We have heard unconfirmed reports of house-to-house military checks of civilians including the use of brutality and violence, though this is unconfirmed," she said.

South Sudan won its independence in 2011 after a vote to split from the north and form a new nation.

But the world's youngest country has struggled with ethnic violence and corruption, and political tensions have worsened in recent weeks.

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