U.S. State Department Issues Evacuation Order as Conflict in South Sudan Worsens
The U.S. State Department has ordered non-emergency government personnel to evacuate South Sudan’s capital, Juba, as tensions escalate due to ongoing conflict in the north. In a travel advisory issued on Sunday, U.S. officials warned that the security situation is deteriorating, with weapons readily available to the population and violent clashes threatening stability.
The crisis intensified after an armed group clashed with South Sudan’s army on Tuesday, leading to the arrests of two government ministers and a deputy army chief allied with Vice President Riek Machar. In response, government forces surrounded Machar’s home, raising concerns that the fragile 2018 peace agreement between him and President Salva Kiir could collapse.
Further complicating the situation, a U.N. helicopter was attacked on Friday during an evacuation mission in the north. The U.N. Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan condemned the assault, stating it “constitutes a war crime.” The commission warned that the rising violence could derail years of progress toward peace in the conflict-ridden nation.
Chairperson Yasmin Sooka urged South Sudanese leaders to prioritize peace efforts and human rights, cautioning that failure to do so could push the country back into full-scale war. The ongoing conflict, combined with political instability, threatens to undo the gains made since South Sudan’s brutal civil war (2013-2018), which left over 400,000 people dead.
Source: AfricaNews
The U.S. State Department has ordered non-emergency staff to leave South Sudan as escalating clashes threaten the country’s fragile peace agreement.