South Sudan president says military has foiled coup
Source: Associated Press
South Sudan president says military has foiled coup
Associated Press in Juba
theguardian.com, Monday 16 December 2013 14.17 GMT
Soldiers loyal to a former vice-president attempted to overthrow the government of South Sudan, the country's president said Monday, as sporadic fighting between factions of the military gripped the capital in the latest violence to hit the world's youngest nation.
Flanked by government officials, President Salva Kiir who put on fatigues with an army general's epaulets said in a televised address to the nation that the military had foiled a coup orchestrated by "a group of soldiers allied with the former vice-president". The soldiers had attacked the South Sudanese military headquarters near Juba University late on Sunday, sparking sporadic clashes that continued Monday, he said.
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Details of the attempted coup remained sketchy, but South Sudanese foreign minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin said that troops within the main army base raided the weapons store in Juba but were repulsed. Some politicians had since been arrested, he said, but could not confirm if former vice-president Riek Machar, who he said led the attempted coup, was among those in detention. Benjamin said the coup was plotted by "disgruntled" soldiers and politicians led by Machar.
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Read more:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/16/south-sudan-capital-gunfire-coup-reports-machar