REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, NEW YORK -- The special representative of the UN secretary-general for South Sudan, Ellen Margrethe Loj, strongly urged all parties to adhere to a ceasefire called by both President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar in South Sudan' s capital Juba.

The UN envoy called on South Sudanese leaders to ensure that the ceasefire order is conveyed through all security forces chains of command so that soldiers return to their barracks, a UN spokesman told reporters here Tuesday.

Loj also urged security forces in Juba to allow unhindered access to patrols by the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to protect the civilian population and called on the parties to allow civilians to move freely to places of refuge, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

"She urged the government to open up corridors to allow UN and humanitarian actors to provide vital supplies and other assistance to the affected civilians, as well as access for medical evacuations," he said.

Also on Tuesday, UNMISS welcomed the ceasefire ordered respectively by South Sudanese President Kiir and Vice President Machar on Monday evening after days of heavy fighting between their forces in Juba.

The ceasefire order took effect from 18:00 local time and any member of the Machar-led forces who surrender must be protected as well. The ceasefire orders came after the UN Security Council called for both sides to end fighting.

Heavy fighting between the rival factions erupted again on Monday. Local residents told Xinhua that heavy artillery shelling and mortars were heard in parts of Juba. It followed deadly clashes on Friday and Sunday in the capital city.

The Health Ministry said at least 271 people were killed in Friday's clashes, while the number of casualties in fighting since Sunday was not yet known.

"UNMISS also reported that the ceasefire seemed to be largely holding, barring sporadic gunfire, and that the airport in the capital had reopened although commercial flights remained suspended," Dujarric said. "Peacekeepers were able to conduct a limited number of short patrols in Juba today."

Since fighting began on July 8, some 5,000 additional internally displaced people have sought protection in the UN's Tomping compound in the capital.

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