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President Salva Kiir

JUBA/UNITED NATIONS. – The government of South Sudan said yesterday it has arrested 10 leading figures, many of them former ministers, as clashes raged for two days in the capital. The clashes, which have left scores of people dead, most of them soldiers, pitted troops loyal to President Salva Kiir against those allied to deposed vice-president Riek Machar.

A further five people, including Machar, were on the run, Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth said in a statement.

Those on the run also include Pagan Amum, a former secretary-general of the rebel group turned ruling party, the Sudan People’s

Liberation Movement. Amum was chief negotiator for South Sudan in talks with Khartoum to resolve outstanding issues following the

South’s independence in 2011.

Also on the run is Taban Deng Gai, the former governor of oil-rich Unity State and Alfred Ladu Gore, a civil war hero, the government said.

Of the 10 arrested, at least eight are ex-ministers, the most prominent among them being ex-internal affairs minister Geir Choung

Aloung, ex-deputy defence minister Majak Agot and Deng Alor Koul, a top SPLM figure who served as foreign minister when Sudan was still united.

Meanwhile, up to 13 000 people have fled to UN compounds in the South Sudan capital Juba to escape clashes between army factions, UN leader Ban Ki-moon said yesterday after talks with the country’s president.

Ban called on President Salva Kiir to make “an offer of dialogue” to his opponents to end deadly fighting that erupted Sunday, said UN spokesman Martin Nesirky.

Salva Kiir has accused Sudan People’s Liberation Army troops loyal to his former vice president Riek Machar of staging a coup attempt in the world’s youngest nation.

Ban held telephone talks with Salva Kiir on the unrest in which dozens of soldiers are said to have died in Juba. The UN Security Council was to hold emergency talks on South Sudan later yesterday. The UN leader expressed “concern” about “reports that members of certain communities were being targeted,” said Nesirky. All civilians had to be protected “regardless of their ethnicities.” Salva Kiir and Riek Machar are from rival ethnic groups.

Ban said “that up to 13 000 civilians have sought refuge at the UN compounds in Juba; a large number of them are women and children,” the spokesman added.

Ban called for an immediate halt to hostilities and for Salva Kiir’s government “to extend an offer of dialogue to its opponents and to resolve their respective differences peacefully.”

“He said he was counting on the president to exercise real leadership at this critical moment, and to instil discipline in the ranks of the SPLA to stop this fighting among them,” the spokesman said.

The African Union also said it was “deeply concerned” about the events and urged all players to show “maximum restraint” and work towards a resolution.

The heavy fighting and the alleged coup has underscored the fragility of the nation which only became independent from Sudan in 2011. – AFP.