South Sudan is feared to be sliding towards civil war, with hundreds of people reported killed in the capital Juba and the states of Jonglei and Unity.
Here is a timeline of the violence there.
MONDAY, December 16:
- President Salva Kiir says he has thwarted a coup attempt, blaming forces loyal to former vice-president Riek Machar, who was dismissed in July.
- Kiir comes from the Dinka people -- the largest ethnic group -- and Machar from the Nuer, the second biggest.
- TUESDAY, December 17:
- Firing and explosions continue and troops patrol key areas.
- The government says it has arrested 10 key figures including former ministers and is seeking others, including Machar.
- WEDNESDAY, December 18:
- Fighting eases in Juba but spreads to the eastern state of Jonglei, where rebels said to support Machar capture the regional capital, Bor.
- A day after the United States orders some embassy staff to evacuate, sending aircraft to take them out of the country. Britain and Norway follow suit.
- Clashes break out in the oil-producing state of Unity, with oil workers killed.
- THURSDAY, December 19:
- Machar calls for Kiir to be overthrown and accuses him of trying to "incite inter-ethnic fighting."
- Two Indian UN peacekeepers and at least 20 civilians are killed when 2,000 armed Nuer youths storm a UN base in Akobo, in the state of Jonglei.
- UN human rights chief Navi Pillay says civilians are being killed based on their ethnicity, warnings echoed also by Human Rights Watch.
- US President Barack Obama says that South Sudan stands at the "precipice" of civil war and deploys US soldiers to ensure the safety of Americans.
- FRIDAY, December 20:
- The United Nations evacuates personnel from Akobo.
- Ugandan soldiers deploy in Juba to help evacuate its citizens.
- The US dispatches a special envoy to the region.
- SATURDAY, December 21:
- Four US troops are wounded when their aircraft comes under fire during an evacuation mission to Bor.
- Kenya sends soldiers to evacuate its citizens from South Sudan.
- SUNDAY, December 22:
- The capital of Unity state, Bentiu, north of Juba, is littered with bodies, a local official says.
- An army spokesman acknowledges that it does not control the city.
- UN official Toby Lanzer says the situation is unravelling and that peacekeeping troops in Bor would struggle to protect 15,000 civilians there.
- Obama reinforces US troops in the country and says he will take additional measures if needed.
- MONDAY, December 23:
- Kiir says South Sudanese troops are advancing on Bor.
- TUESDAY, December 24:
- Mass grave reported by the UN to have been found in Bentiu, Unity state, with reports of at least two more found in Juba.
- Army says it retakes Bor, rebels reported to flee.
- Government claims to be readying to advance on Bentiu.
