South Sudan's President Salva Kiir
says an attempted coup by soldiers loyal to his sacked former deputy Riek Machar
has been put down.
It comes after heavy gunfire overnight in the capital, Juba.
At a news conference, Mr Kiir said the government was in full control of the
capital, and announced a night-time curfew for civilians.
Several people are reported wounded and hundreds of people have sought refuge
at the UN mission in Juba.
The UN has expressed concern and appealed for calm. It said it was in touch
with the government.
Hilde Johnson, the special representative in the country, said she was
"deeply concerned" and urged "all parties in the fighting to cease hostilities
immediately and exercise restraint".
The alleged attempted coup is a manifestation of months of political unrest,
which escalated in July when President Salva Kiir dismissed his deputy, Riek
Machar. Mr Machar and other senior politicians accused the president of
intolerance and dictatorship. In recent weeks, Mr Kiir has warned of attempts to
instigate political instability, amid bouts of ethnic violence.
Differences between Mr Kiir and Mr Machar mirror the complex ethnic and
political divisions across the poor nation. Mr Kiir, from the majority Dinka
ethnic group, and Mr Machar, from the second largest Nuer group, have been at
odds in a scramble over the spoils that independence brought on. These divisions
extend to the army, which owes allegiance to the politicians.
The instability is exacerbated by the presence of many illegal guns, mostly
from years of war with Sudan. Even though the authorities say they have put down
the latest unrest, it is clear more challenging days lie ahead for the new
state.
"I have been in touch regularly with the key leaders,
including at the highest levels to call for calm," she said.
Mr Riek has not commented and his whereabouts are unclear. But rumours he had
been arrested were denied by several media outlets.
Airport closed
Tensions have been high in South Sudan - the world's youngest country - since
President Kiir dismissed his entire cabinet, including his deputy Riek Machar,
in July in an apparent power struggle.
Mr Machar, who had indicated he planned to contest the presidential elections
in 2015, now leads a dissident faction within Mr Kiir's ruling party, the former
rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM).
The two men are from rival ethnic groups that have clashed in the past.
Mr Kiir is from the Dinka community, the largest in South Sudan, while Mr
Machar is from the Nuer, the second-largest. Some Nuer have complained about
Dinka political domination.
The fighting in Juba broke out overnight, and intensified in the early
morning, with reports of continuous gunfire and several explosions.
The city's airport has been closed and the state TV channel SSTV went off air
for several hours.
Shortly after it came back on air, SSTV broadcast an address from Mr Kiir,
wearing military uniform rather than his usual civilian clothing and flanked by
government officials.
He said the violence "was an attempted coup", but that the government was "in
full control of the security situation in Juba" and the attackers being chased
down.
The fighting began when unidentified uniformed personnel opened fire at a
meeting of SPLM, he said, and was followed by an attack on army headquarters
near the university.
They were carried out "by a group of soldiers allied to the former
vice-president Dr Riek Machar and his group", he said
"The security organs will also undertake full investigations into these
incidences, and the government will ensure that the culprits answer for their
crimes before the appropriate law institution.
Riek Machar was reportedly dismissed by President
Kiir as part of a power struggle
"Rest assured that the government is doing all it can to make sure that
citizens are secured and safe."
The SPLM would never allow power to be transferred by force in South Sudan,
he said.
Foreign Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin told the Associated Press that some
soldiers had tried to raid the weapons store at the main military based in the
capital, but were repulsed.
A curfew will be in place from Monday night between 18:00 and 06:00.
Civilians flee
Juba was reportedly calm by mid-morning, but heavily armed troops were seen
on the streets.
The UN-backed Radio Miraya said four children had been wounded, two
critically.
Hundreds of people, mainly women and children, have taken shelter at the UN
compound near the airport and at a UN house in the city.
"We hope the security situation in Juba will quickly normalise to enable the
civilians to return very soon to their residential areas. To that end, UNMISS
(the UN mission in South Sudan) calls on all parties to show continued calm and
restraint," the UN said in a statement.
One resident who lives near the presidential guard barracks told the BBC that
many people had sought refuge at a Catholic church.
The UN and the US embassy both denied rumours they were harbouring any
political or military figures.
In
a statement, the US said embassy staff had spoken to a range of officials
and concerned parties "in order to urge calm, restraint, and a settling of
differences through a peaceful political means rather than through violence".
South Sudan split from Sudan in 2011, after a referendum intended to end
decades of conflict. But the oil-rich country is ethnically and politically
divided, with many armed groups active.
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