US Sends Marines to South Sudan Capital to Protect Citizens

NAIROBI, Kenya— The U.S. military in Africa says it has sent 40 additional soldiers to South Sudan’s capital, Juba, to help secure American personnel and facilities in the war-torn city.Amid a tense cease-fire which has held since Monday night, the U...
US Sends Marines to South Sudan Capital to Protect Citizens
In this Tuesday July 12, 2016 photo, people take shelter near the All Saints Church in Juba, South Sudan. Embassies and aid organizations in South Sudan were trying to evacuate staff from the capital, Juba, on Tuesday as a precarious calm settled over the city following several days of deadly clashes. AP Photo
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NAIROBI, Kenya—The U.S. military in Africa says it has sent 40 additional soldiers to South Sudan’s capital, Juba, to help secure American personnel and facilities in the war-torn city.

Amid a tense cease-fire which has held since Monday night, the U.S. troops deployed at the request of the State Department, said Africom spokeswoman Cpt. Jennifer Dyrcz.

In five days of fighting in the capital President Salva Kiir’s forces ousted those loyal to First Vice President Riek Machar from one of their bases. The fighting left hundreds dead in the capital and aid workers said bodies remain in the streets.

The U.S. Embassy in Juba said it is organizing flights to evacuate non-essential staff and for all U.S. citizens wishing to leave South Sudan.

Commercial flights to Juba remain cancelled though charter flights are evacuating hundreds of aid workers and other foreign citizens from the capital.