By William Tucker
Chief Correspondent for In Homeland Security
Gunfire erupted in the South Sudan capital of Juba late Saturday night leaving an untold number of dead and wounded. President Salva Kiir later discussed the situation via a televised address and accused his former deputy, Riek Machar, of leading the unrest. Currently, Machar’s location is unknown, though his spokesman has denied rumors that the former vice president was arrested and said he was still in Juba. This information has not been independently confirmed, however. It is accurate that Kiir and Machar are from different ethnic factions – the Dinka and Nuer, respectively – there is no information available to support Kiir’s assertion that Machar was behind the uprising. Machar is a likely suspect, but the divide between these two ethnic clans goes beyond the two men. On the humanitarian front, the UN mission in South Sudan has provided shelter to civilians who immediately fled the fighting. The ruling faction in Juba would enact a curfew to control population movement in the midst of the conflict, but more and more civilians are venturing out of their homes as the fighting has abated. Truth be told, this bout of fighting is not unexpected, though it wasn’t predicted either. That said, the violence is one thing, but the political purge that occurred this past summer in Juba may have an unwelcome sequel coming up soon. Such a move would like force the Nuer to become more forceful in their opposition to Kiir.
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