More foreign nationals evacuated as security fears worsen in Juba
December 20, 2013 (JUBA) – The UK plans to send a second evacuation flight for its nationals in the South Sudan capital, Juba, on Friday as fighting continues to spread throughout the country.
After initially advising against travel to Jonglei and Juba, the Foreign Office upgraded its advisory on Friday, warning against all travel to the country.
“We strongly advise all British nationals in South Sudan to leave the country if they can do so safely. You may have difficulty leaving in the event of a further deterioration in security”, the Foreign office said in its revised alert.
The Foreign Office has temporarily withdrawn some staff and dependants from the British embassy in Juba amid increasing security fears.
The British embassy in Juba remains open, but is running at limited capacity.
The Foreign Office has warned that security constraints and reduced staffing may make it difficult for the British government to provide consular assistance in the event of a further deterioration in the security situation.
The UK’s first evacuation flight from Juba arrived in Uganda late Thursday.
A fourth US evacuation flight also took off from Juba on Thursday headed for Kenya, with Italy and Germany also evacuating their nationals.
The US state department said it was also offering an additional evacuation flight for its citizens on Friday.
The US announced on Tuesday it was temporarily suspending its embassy operations in Juba, with all non-emergency diplomatic staff ordered to leave.
The Australian government, which does not have resident diplomatic representation in South Sudan, has urged its citizens to leave via commercial flights.
It has also upgraded its advisory for South Sudan to ‘Do Not Travel’ due to the “extremely dangerous” security situation on the ground.
The situation in Juba remained mostly peaceful on Thursday, with the government making assurances to UN agencies and foreign embassies “that civil tranquillity has been fully restored”.
However, the conflict continues to spread throughout the country, with Jonglei state capital Bor now under the control of rebelling South Sudanese army (SPLA) forces, while 16 people were killed when oil workers from rival tribes clashed in Unity state on Thursday.
(ST)