Fighting has halted in Juba leaving thousands of people displaced and many countries have embarked on evacuating their nationals.

Uncertainty and precarious calm in South Sudan’s capital, Juba after the four-day fighting that started last Friday in which more than 300 people died, continue to scare both nationals and foreigners. Aid workers have reportedly said that the humanitarian situation is dire and deteriorating, with hospitals shelled, food supplies running low, tens of thousands of people taking refuge in churches.

Faced with the precarious security situation, many countries have embarked on evacuating their nationals. BBC reported that a heavily armed Ugandan military convoy of around 50 trucks, escorted by machine gun-mounted armoured vehicles, crossed the border at Nimule, some 200km from Juba on July 14, 2016.  Army Chief Brigadier Leopold Kyanda was quoted as saying, “We plan to go to Juba to extract 3,000 Ugandans stranded by fighting, but that number may grow as we will evacuate anyone who wants to leave of any nationality.

There may even be some South Sudanese who want to leave."  Times of India is cited as reporting that the Indian government sent two aircraft to Juba to evacuate more than 300 of its nationals stranded there. The United States of America’s has deployed soldiers to protect its embassy.

The clashes pit troops loyal to President, Salva Kiir, against those theoretically commanded by the former rebel leader Riek Machar, who is now vice-president.  Both Kiir and Machar in separate statements reportedly ordered their forces to ceasefire on Monday, July 11, 2016. Information Minister Michael Makuei, said, “The president has reiterated his commitment to the continued implementation of the [peace] agreement in letter and spirit, and thus issues an order of cessation of hostilities with immediate effect." 

First Vice President Riek Machar is quoted as having said in Eye Radio Juba, "I inform all troops who have been fighting and have been defending themselves that they should observe the ceasefire and stay in position."