S.Sudan: Senior diplomat fired, calm returns to capital

By Parach Mach

JUBA (AA) - South Sudan's President Salva Kiir Tuesday night fired his Deputy Foreign Minister Cirino Hiteng, citing no reason, but after he signed onto a proposal apparently opposed by the presidency to bring an international stamp of stability to Juba, the war-torn capital.

Prior to the firing, announced on state TV, the week Cirino signed a communique from a meeting of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional trading bloc, which demanded that South Sudan open its only International airport and hand over its security to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), a move opposed by some in the country an being akin to foreign occupation.

"The situation is calm in Juba and the Sudan People's Liberation Army [SPLA] is in control of the airport, so what is the motive for UNMISS taking over the airport?" a source close to the presidency, speaking on condition of confidentiality due to restrictions on speaking with the media, told Anadolu Agency.

After calm has been restored, he said, "What are IGAD's next predictions of uncertainty? IGAD is either encouraging war in South Sudan or telling us that we are in a project of trusteeship," he added.

South Sudan, scarred by two years of civil war, has witnessed four days of fierce battles this week fought with heavy weapons, including helicopter gunships, tanks, and artillery between former rebels and government forces.

Former rivals Kiir and First Vice-President Riek Machar, whose forces were battling each other, declared a ceasefire Monday, raising hopes that the peace accord signed last August will prevail.

The ceasefire seemed to hold on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the sound of gunfire absent across the city, after thousands were displaced and 270 people were killed on the first days of fighting.