South Sudan President, Salva Kiir, said on Monday that an early morning attempted coup by soldiers loyal to his sacked former deputy Riek Machar had been quashed and the attackers were being tracked down by government allied forces.

Kiir said on the South Sudan TV the government was in full control of the country and announced a dusk to dawn curfew for all civilians in the country’s capital, Juba.

Tensions have been high in Africa’s newest nation since July when President Kiir dismissed his entire cabinet, including his deputy Riek Machar, in an apparent power struggle. Machar, who had indicated plans to contest the presidential elections in 2015, now leads a dissident faction within the ruling party, the former rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM).

Heavy gunfire erupted overnight in Juba, diplomats said. The fighting appeared to have broken out in a barracks close to the city centre shortly before midnight and involved the use of heavy machine guns and mortars, BBC News Africa reported.

“This was an attempted coup,” President Kiir said “Your government is in full control of the security situation in Juba. The attackers fled and your forces are pursuing them.”

“The SPLM is fully committed to peaceful transfer of power and will never allow political power to be transferred through violence. In response to the criminal acts of yesterday, committed by this disgruntled group, and for the sake of the security and safety of our citizens I hereby declare a curfew in Juba (that) has to be observed from 6.00 pm to 6.00 am starting from 16th December 2013 until further notice,” Kiir added.