“South Sudan must respect people’s right to freedom of movement, including the right to leave their own country”, said Elizabeth Deng, Amnesty International’s South Sudan Researcher.
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So far, almost 300 Indians have registered with the Indian embassy for evacuation, official sources said.
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.
The United Nations said around 36,000 people had fled their homes for the perceived safety of UN bases, churches and aid agency compounds since the unrest erupted on Friday.
The worldwide community played a major role in the creation of South Sudan and has tried to exercise some influence since independence in 2011.
However, President Kiir feels the foreign troops in the country are already beyond the required number.
Following four days of intense battles in Juba that left hundreds dead and forced around 40,000 to flee, a tense ceasefire has been in place since Monday but the United Nations has warned that violence could erupt again.
Two C-17 Globemaster aircraft left for Juba this morning to evacuate 600 Indians from war-torn South Sudan.
“The people hit hardest by this fighting are struggling to cope in appalling conditions”, said Mahimbo Mdoe, UNICEF’s representative in South Sudan.
A heavily armed Ugandan military convoy crossed into South Sudan Thursday to evacuate citizens trapped in the capital Juba, amid fears that fierce fighting could flare up again despite a ceasefire. On Thursday, soldiers from the opposing factions exchanged gunfire in Juba, leaving five dead.
CeasefireThe country’s President Salva Kiir on Monday evening ordered a ceasefire after days of heavy fighting between government troops and forces loyal to vice president Riek Machar in Juba.
While both Kiir and Machar have said they still back the peace process, many in South Sudan are anxious that cycle of violence could repeat itself, with battles spreading outside the capital.
Thousands of South Sudanese people have reportedly also gathered at the country’s southern border of Nimule, seeking to enter into Uganda, but they are also being prevented from crossing over. In late 2013, the country exploded into civil war that took on ethnic overtones between the Dinka tribe, which Kiir belongs to, and the Nuer, Machar’s tribe. Last August, President Obama helped pressure the two warring leaders to sign a peace agreement.
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Germany’s foreign office says those evacuated on Wednesday included three wounded Chinese peacekeepers from the United Nations mission in South Sudan and citizens from Britain, France, Poland, Norway, Australia, Canada, Kenya and other countries.
