"Attempted coup in South Sudan defeated'

South Sudan's president says an "attempted coup" by former vice-president Riek Machar has been defeated and the government is in control in the capital.

A policeman walks past the remains of a market in South Sudan

Heavy fighting has broken out in South Sudan's capital Juba, officials say. (AAP)

South Sudan's president says he has defeated a coup attempt by a political rival following a night of fighting in the capital Juba.

"This was an attempted coup," President Salva Kiir told reporters on Monday.

He also said in a statement that the "government is in full control of the security situation in Juba. The attackers fled and your forces are pursuing them."

He also said an overnight curfew would be imposed from 6pm on Monday to 6am on Tuesday, and then remain in force until further notice.

The president blamed the fighting on "a group of soldiers allied to the former vice president Riek Machar and his group".

Machar leads a dissident group within South Sudan's ruling party - the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) - and was sacked as vice-president in July.

South Sudan won its independence in 2011 after its people voted overwhelmingly in a referendum to split from the north and form a new nation.


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Source: AAP



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