Intense fighting amid a coup attempt in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, has forced the Israeli aid group IsraAid to suspend its operations in the country and go on lockdown.
The heavy gunfire in Juba began Dec. 15. IsraAid members reported artillery and automatic weapons fire in their vicinity.
Salva Kiir, the president of South Sudan, which became an independent country in July 2011, announced Dec. 16 that he had successfully put down the coup attempt by soldiers loyal to former Deputy President Riek Machar, whom Kiir dismissed over the summer. The president declared a nighttime curfew in Juba.
Ophelie Namiech, IsraAid’s regional director for East and Central Africa, said the group’s operations would be suspended until stability was restored to the city. — jta