Go home: That’s the message staffers at the U.S. Embassy in South Sudan were given Friday, in the face of rising violence and ongoing wars among local factions.
The New York Times reported that the embassy is going to stop providing any consular services this weekend, while the State Department posted a notification on its website advising caution to travelers.
Washington has “ordered a further drawdown of U.S. Embassy personnel because of the deteriorating security situation” in South Sudan, the State Department said. “We continue to urge U.S. citizens in South Sudan to depart the country.” The State Department also said it would provide a flight to evacuate citizens to “the nearest safe haven country [on a] first-come, first-served basis,” The Times reported.
“The U.S. Embassy will no longer be able to provide any consular services to U.S. citizens in the Republic of South Sudan as of January 4, 2014,” the State Department said.
This isn’t the first evacuation notice for U.S. citizens in South Sudan. In December, the State Department started flying citizens from the embassy in the capital city of Juba because violence between government soldiers and uprising factions had escalated.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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