Arop Jonchol
Report: Emmanuel Michael Gatjiek
The United States has ordered the immediate withdrawal of non-emergency personnel from South Sudan’s capital, Juba, due to increasing crime, kidnapping, and armed conflict, as announced by the U.S. Department of State on Sunday.
The travel advisory for South Sudan remains at Level 4, which means U.S. citizens are urged to avoid travel to the East African country. The warnings focus on widespread violent crime, including car thefts, shootings, kidnappings, as well as sexual assaults, armed robberies, and other crimes against foreigners. The advisory noted that violence is still ongoing, and “weapons are easily available to the population.”
The Department of State also mentioned that the U.S. government has “limited ability to provide emergency consular services to U.S. citizens in South Sudan.”
This warning comes amid rising tensions that threaten the fragile peace agreement signed in 2018 between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar.
Clashes between an armed group and government forces in the Upper Nile state of South Sudan on Tuesday led to the arrest of several key figures associated with Vice President Machar, including the Minister of Petroleum and the Deputy Chief of Staff.
Military troops surrounded Mr. Machar’s residence in Juba, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of State, although no official explanation has been provided by the South Sudanese government.
Supporters of the First Vice President argue that the arrests could jeopardize the fragile peace agreement reached in 2018, which ended the armed conflict between Machar’s forces and those loyal to President Kiir.
The situation was further exacerbated by an attack on a United Nations aircraft on Friday, which was conducting an evacuation mission in Nasir.
The U.S. Department of State has advised Americans in South Sudan to “exercise extreme caution,” especially in Juba.
