Sun Mar 09 16:39:56 UTC 2025: ## US Orders Non-Emergency Staff Out of South Sudan Amid Rising Tensions
**Nairobi, March 9, 2025** – The United States has ordered the departure of all non-emergency government personnel from South Sudan due to escalating tensions and renewed violence, the State Department announced Sunday. The decision follows recent clashes between forces allied with President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar, threatening the fragile 2018 power-sharing agreement that ended a five-year civil war.
The violence has included the attack on a UN helicopter during a rescue mission on Friday, resulting in the death of a crew member and an army general. President Kiir has called for calm, but concerns are rising internationally.
The UN human rights commission for South Sudan warned of an alarming regression, potentially jeopardizing years of progress toward peace. The International Crisis Group issued a stark warning, stating that South Sudan is rapidly sliding toward all-out war, with the risk of large-scale ethnic massacres if the situation is not contained.
Accusations have been made by President Kiir’s allies against Vice President Machar’s forces of inciting unrest in Upper Nile State, allegedly collaborating with the “White Army,” a group of armed youths. The ongoing conflict involves various political and ethnic groups, with weapons readily available to the population. The situation highlights the fragility of peace in the world’s youngest nation.
First Piper 