Dawn broke over Juba this morning without the sound of gunfire across the city as residents who had fled or gone into hiding welcomed the quiet.
Residents in different parts of the city confirmed they were not witnessing any clashes this morning.
This comes after days of fighting between the two ‘peace partners’ to the agreement signed nearly a year ago in Addis Ababa by Salva Kiir and Riek Machar. Both parties have troops encamped in Juba under the terms of the deal.
Over the last four days many of Juba’s shell-shocked residents have lost friends, colleagues or loved ones, while nearly all were uprooted for their homes or spent days sheltering indoors afraid to be killed by stray bullets or mortar and artillery fire.
The airport has been mostly closed except to military traffic. However, a flight arrived yesterday from Entebbe and aviation sources say that more flights are expected to come and go today, including for foreign ministers of four East African countries expected to arrive in Juba for crisis talks.
The dead are yet to be counted in Juba and it is unclear how many died in the fighting, though the toll in the first day alone, Friday, was confirmed to be more than 270.
In spite of the calm this morning, private vehicles were not yet seen on the streets and schools remain closed. A few shops have opened, with police seen guarding shops and some sites where civilians have fled.
Some people who had taken protection inside church premises are leaving back to their houses.
Calm has held in the city up until publication of this report at about 9:45 a.m.
Photo: IDPs at a UN agency compound in Juba (WFP)