Juba, South Sudan: At least eight people were killed when an unknown gunmen fired on football fans in a bar in the South Sudan capital Juba at the weekend, the government said Monday.

‘Eight young men were killed,’ said deputy information minister Paul Akol Kordit adding that others were ‘in critical condition’ after the attack on a bar where football fans were watching an English Premier League match on Saturday night.

The shooting happened at about 9:00 pm (1800 GMT) at a bar in Gure, a poor suburb in Juba's southwest. The whereabouts of the shooter and the motive are unclear with ‘investigations underway,’ according to Kordit.

‘It's very unfortunate and we as a government condemn this in the very strongest terms possible and pledge that we will do what we can to protect our people and bringing to book such people who are killing innocent lives with no... reason at all,’ said Kordit.

Insecurity in the capital has worsened since the start of a civil war nearly three years ago, with the widespread fighting leading to an increase in criminality and armed violence of all kinds.

In July the capital became a battleground as forces loyal to President Salva Kiir clashed with those of his former deputy turned rebel leader Riek Machar, forcing Machar to flee.

Successive rounds of internationally-backed peace talks and agreements have so far failed to bring peace to the world's newest nation which won independence from Sudan in mid-2011.