Curfew imposed as serious fighting breaks out in South Sudan

Heavy gunfire was reported in the South Sudanese capital, Juba, early Monday, a government official said.

Tensions have been high in Africa's newest nation, which split from Sudan two years ago, since President Salva Kiir dismissed his entire Cabinet, including his deputy, Riek Machar, in July.
"There is heavy fighting in Juba right now," said Peter Biar Ajak, a government official. "The army is fighting each other. I cannot call it an attempted coup or a coup at this stage."
In a televised statement, Kiir announced a nighttime curfew, running from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m.

The curfew, which begins Monday, is "for the sake of security and safety of our citizens," he added.

The U.S. and British embassies in Juba urged their citizens via Twitter to stay indoors and exercise caution.
On its official Facebook page, the U.S. Embassy confirmed it had received reports from multiple reliable sources of ongoing security incidents and sporadic gunfire in several locations across Juba and recommended U.S. citizens exercise "extra caution at all times."
"Gunshots/artillery fired over the past few hours in several locations in Juba," the embassy tweeted.
It said it had suspended all routine services and that the embassy was currently closed.

The British Embassy has issued an alert advising British nationals against all nonessential movements in parts of the country.
South Sudan formally split from Sudan in 2011, after decades of conflict. Numerous armed groups remain active in the oil-rich country.
The U.S. Embassy denied on Twitter that Machar had taken shelter there.

In a separate statement, the U.S. Embassy said it was" deeply concerned at the recent outbreak of armed violence" in Juba and echoed calls from the U.N. envoy there for all parties to "cease hostilities immediately and exercise restraint."