South Sudan: UN 'very worried' about possible renewed fighting

United Nations: UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous warned Wednesday that more fighting could break out in South Sudan despite a two-day ceasefire that followed a major flareup of violence in Juba. “We remain very worried about the potential for the resumption of violence and spillover into other parts of the country, as we have seen in the past,” he told the Security Council. [caption id=“attachment_2892342” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. AP[/caption] The United Nations is considering an emergency request from regional leaders to send an intervention brigade to Juba that could secure the airport and separate the warring sides. At least 272 people have been killed during fighting that broke out Friday and resumed on Sunday and Monday after a pause to mark the fifth anniversary of South Sudan’s independence on Saturday. Ladsous said he was convinced the death toll was “only the tip of the iceberg” because many civilians were barred from reaching safer grounds such as UN compounds. At least 42,000 people have fled their homes in the latest flareup, with 7,000 sheltering in UN peacekeeping bases, while aid groups and churches in the city have taken in 35,000 people. Government troops appear to be in full control of Juba but opposition forces remain around the west of the city and “further clashes cannot be ruled out,” Ladsous said. Both army and rebel forces are mobilizing around parts of Malakal in Upper Nile region and Leer in Unity state, fuelling worries of fighting there, he added. The East African IGAD bloc of countries is calling on the United Nations to strengthen the peacekeeping mission in South Sudan with more troops and better equipment, including attack helicopters. UN officials are leaning on African governments to beef up the mission known as UNMISS ahead of an African Union summit Sunday in Kigali, where the crisis will be discussed. The Security Council is also considering an appeal from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for an arms embargo to be imposed on South Sudan and sanctions targeted against commanders responsible for the violence. South Sudan descended into war in December 2013 after President Salva Kiir fired his deputy Reik Machar, unleashing a wave of violence that has left tens of thousands dead. Although Kiir and Machar signed a peace deal in August last year, fighting has continued. South Sudan’s UN Ambassador Akuei Bona Malwal described the latest fighting as “setbacks” that his government considered part of “a learning curve,” saying he remained committed to the peace deal.