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The United States has ordered all non-emergency personnel to leave South Sudan following escalating violence that threatens to destabilise the country.
The State Department announced the evacuation on Sunday, citing increasing risks as tensions rise between the allied forces of President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar.
Recent clashes, particularly in Upper Nile State, have intensified fears of a return to civil conflict.
The fragile peace established in 2018 through a power-sharing agreement between Kiir and Machar has been under strain, with allegations of unrest being stoked by Machar’s forces in collaboration with the White Army, an ethnic Nuer militia.
On Friday, a United Nations helicopter was attacked during a rescue mission, resulting in the death of a crew member and an army general.
The UN confirmed the incident, which further highlighted the growing risks to international personnel in the region.
The US State Department cited the ongoing armed conflict, including fighting between political and ethnic groups, as the primary reason for its decision. With weapons readily available to the population, the situation remains volatile.
Kiir urged citizens to remain calm, stressing there would be no return to war, but international bodies have expressed alarm.
The UN Human Rights Commission warned of an alarming regression that could undo years of peace efforts, while the International Crisis Group stated that South Sudan is “slipping rapidly toward full-blown war,” warning of potential ethnic massacres if the situation is not contained.
