He said the United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, known as UNMISS, was also investigating the incidents, including its own response.
Advertisement
The return flights would be only up to New Delhi, the statement said.
That clash sparked a larger battle that left almost 300 dead, including 33 civilians, according to government figures.
In a letter sent to the Congress, Obama said that the troops arrived on Tuesday and are tasked with protecting U.S. personnel working in South Sudan, the U.S. Embassy in Juba and American property in the country.
A truce is now in place after an outbreak of violence between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir (keer) and his rival, Vice President Riek Machar.
He said the fights between president Salva Kiir bodyguards and first vice president unit forces during a meeting conducted on Friday, 8 July, in presidential palace of J1 was a total failure of leadership in the country.
Earlier Thursday a convoy of around 50 Ugandan trucks escorted by machine gun-mounted armoured vehicles crossed the border at Nimule to open up a secure corridor for fleeing civilians on the 200 kilometre (120 mile) Juba-Nimule road. “As a result, they are turning to coping mechanisms like looting to survive”, said Jeremiah Young, policy adviser for World Vision.
The U.N. has said 42,000 South Sudanese civilians have fled their homes due to the fighting. It is reliably learnt that of the 600, only 300 have said that they wanted to leave in the wake of the recent violence. South Sudan is now in its wet season, which should last for another two months.
Outside Juba there were reports of fighting in the towns of Leer in Unity State and Wau in Western Bahr el Ghazal and of army and rebel forces mobilising around Malakal in Upper Nile.
Meanwhile, fighting continued to spread to other parts of South Sudan. Many are living in churches or sites protected by global peacekeepers.
“This entire operation has been under the direct supervision of Swaraj who had formed a high level task force to monitor the situation in South Sudan”, he added.
“We plan to go to Juba to extract 3,000 Ugandans stranded by fighting, but that number may grow as we will evacuate anyone who wants to leave of any nationality”, Kiyanda said.
As was the case at the beginning of the conflict, the warring parties are still South Sudan’s most prominent ethnic groups: the Dinka, led by President Kiir, and the Nuer, under Vice-President Machar.
Advertisement
UNMISS “reports that the situation in Juba is calm but tense with heavy” military presence, Dujarric said.
