“The goal, as I understand it, being to secure Juba and, if possible, its airport through demilitarization so that the government of transition and national unity can get to work without worrying about security issues”, he said.
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Approximately 40 U.S. special forces troops were sent Wednesday to the capital of South Sudan to help evacuate non-essential USA embassy staff as fighting continued to rage in the country, State Department spokesman John Kirby said.
South Sudanese trying to flee to Uganda by road spoke of attacks, killings and robberies by armed men.
“These deployed personnel will remain in South Sudan until the security situation becomes such that their presence is no longer needed”, the White House said in a statement. Another 130 troops are pre-positioned in nearby Djibouti ready to provide support, Obama told Congress in a letter Wednesday.
“We’d prefer the current peacekeepers and if there’s any additional force it will be added to the current United Nations post”, Dak said.
The Indian Government on Thursday morning launched the “Sankat Mochan” operation to evacuate Indian nationals from South Sudan. It also said that women and children will be accommodated on priority.
At least 272 people have been killed in the latest spasm of violence, and at least 42,000 people have fled their homes.
The conflict has been simmering for several years, and although clashes have occurred across the country, it is feared heavy fighting in the capital is indicative of the start of a larger-scale conflict.
A cease-fire in South Sudan’s capital Juba held for a second day on Wednesday after days of fighting that left hundreds dead. “There are a lot of soldiers and policemen in the streets patrolling”.
However, tension again rose in past weeks between government troops of Kiir and forces loyal to Machar, raising concerns that the war-torn country could again descend into war.
Tensions between the two factions have divided South Sudan along ethnic lines, with Kiir leading the Dinka group and Machar leading the Nuer.
However, during the fighting, tanks, helicopter gunships and anti-aircraft guns were all deployed.
The death toll from Saturday and Sunday’s battles is not yet known but around 300 were killed in just a few hours on Friday.
Adama Dieng, the UN Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, said some civilians “were reportedly targeted based on their ethnicity”.
African Union (AU) chief Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma focused on the re-emerged crisis in South Sudan in her opening speech to the continent’s foreign ministers on Wednesday.
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United Nations humanitarian coordinator for South Sudan, Eugene Owusu, called on all sides to ensure “unhindered access” so that humanitarian workers could reach people, including those hardest hit by the fighting.
