The United States, following threats of a re-emerging civil war in South Sudan that claimed nearly 400,000 lives in 2018, has called for the evacuation of its non-emergency personnel.
Reports indicate that tensions have heightened as security forces loyal to President Salva Kiir arrested two ministers and several senior military officials allied with opposition leader Riek Machar earlier this month.
The arrests have raised fears for the future of the 2018 peace deal, which ended a five-year civil war between forces loyal to Kiir and Machar.
The State Department warned that violent crimes—including carjackings, shootings, ambushes, assaults, robberies, and kidnappings—are common throughout South Sudan, including in the capital, Juba.
South Sudan is currently described as a “very dangerous area,” particularly for journalists and U.S. government employees, who were under strict curfew and were placed in armored vehicles for nearly all movements.
