UN secretary general in South Sudan over conflict

The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Juba on Thursday for a one-day visit to South Sudan amid fighting between pro and anti-government forces. Ban is scheduled to meet with South Sudan president Salva Kiir as well as civil society leaders, according to A statement from the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Ban has repeatedly called on the leaders to find a political solution and to put an immediate end to the violence since the beginning of the crisis. Together with his special representative and head of the UNMISS Hilde F. Johnson, Ban will visit the protection of civilians site in the UNMISS Tomping compound. Ban's visit comes as fighting resumed on Monday in South Sudan's Unity state where UN peacekeepers are protecting some 23, 000 displaced civilians. In resource-rich Unity state's capital, Bentiu, the Mission reported heavy fighting between Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and opposition soldiers, including in the vicinity of a UN base. The conflict, which began in mid-December 2013, is believed to have left thousands of people dead and forced tens of thousands to seek refuge at UN bases around the country.