Nigerians ‘trapped, abandoned’ as South Sudan burns

Some Nigerians who are trapped in Juba, South Sudan capital, as a result of the ongoing crisis in the country have alleged that the Nigerian embassy is not taking good care of them.

Speaking to TheCable on Monday, a man who did not want to be named, said there up to 100 Nigerians were seeking refuge inside the embassy without food or water.

Fighting broke out in Juba on Thursday during preparations for the fifth independence anniversary of the world’s newest country.

So far, at least 272 persons have been killed.

“We don’t have light; we don’t have water; we are just stranded here. The situation here is not good for us,” the Nigerian told TheCable.

“We have been here for the past three days, and we don’t know how long we are going to stay here. The embassy just opened their door to us, and nothing more. No light, no food, no water.

“We are up to 100 here. Tomorrow now, they will say the Nigerian government spent money on those who have been stranded. It’s pure lies.”

Hundreds of people, mostly soldiers, have been reportedly killed in the fighting between rival armed groups since Thursday, raising fears of a slide back into all-out conflict.

There were shootings at the presidential palace on Friday, as President Salva Kiir, first Vice-President Riek Machar and second Vice-President Igga Wani, met to discuss the cause of the latest violence.

While Machar commands some forces, Kiir maintains control over national security forces as part of a peace deal ending months of conflict.

The latest bout of violence comes hours after a UN security council emergency meeting said South Sudan’s neighbours should help end the fighting and be prepared to send additional troops to bolster the UN mission in the country (UNMISS).

“The members of the Security Council urged an immediate end to the fighting by all concerned and demanded that President Kiir and First Vice President Machar do their utmost to control their respective forces, urgently end the fighting and prevent the spread of violence,” the council said in a statement on Sunday.

Expressing “shock and outrage” at attacks on UN compounds, which killed and wounded Chinese and Rwandan peacekeepers, the council also demanded that civilian sites be protected and warned that “attacks against civilians and UN premises and personnel may constitute war crimes”.

More than 1,000 people fled to a UN compound in Juba as heavy fighting broke out, and two UNMISS sites in the capital were hit by small and heavy arms fire.

According to Al Jazeera, Makuei Lueth, South Sudanese information minister, laid the blame for the fighting on forces loyal to Machar, while Taban Deng, the minister of mining, called for opposition forces to join a unilateral ceasefire.

“Our people have suffered so much, they don’t need any more suffering even for a minute. This is a call to our generals in both armies that they should ceasefire immediately,” Deng said at a news conference in Juba on Sunday.

The country descended into conflict in December 2013 after Kiir accused Machar, his former deputy whom he had sacked earlier that year, of plotting a coup.