Gunfights and sporadic shooting in various parts of the South Sudanese capital on Wednesday night gave way to a tense calm in many areas later in the night and throughout the early morning hours on Thursday.

Beginning shortly before 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday, many residential areas of Juba especially around the UN Tongping base witnessed gunfire, lasting for one to two hours depending on the area of the city.

Residents in several parts of the city said they were taking shelter inside. Tongping, Mia Saba, and the airport area all witnessed heavy shooting, they said.

Civilians expressed confusion about who might be fighting whom, and some of the gunfire was explained as shots fired skyward rather than direct clashes. A resident of Giyada barracks told Radio Tamazuj that he thought there was no particular target, only random shooting.

But another military source said he thought there were more forces missing from the ranks since yesterday. He said there was fighting in or near the airport, around the junction of airport road and UNMISS road by Yam Hotel.

A resident of Tongping said last night there was heavy shooting near his house and also saw flares in the sky. Residents of Giyada, Gudele, Munuki and other areas also reported sporadic or heavy shootings, but some parts of the city remained calm.