The US embassy in Juba helped more than 40 South Sudanese nationals, half of whom hold American dual citizenships, leave South Sudan on Saturday, according to an embassy official.
The American citizens who left Juba have sheltered inside the UN Protection of Civilians Site (PoC) in Juba since July 2016, when fighting erupted in the capital between government troops and opposition fighters loyal to former vice president Riek Machar.
The US embassy spokesman Jeremiah Knight told Radio Tamazuj Tuesday that the embassy began supporting the Americans of South Sudanese origin when it learned that they were living inside the UN camp in Juba.
“Part of UN government policy is to help US citizens that are desperately in need of support and getting back to the US, so this is not something unusual, this is something we do around the world,” said Jeremiah.
For his part, Ateny Wek Ateny, South Sudan’s presidential spokesman, said the government had accepted to allow those American citizens of South Sudanese origin to leave Juba.
“Those people have requested to go back to the US and the government has accepted, so there is no any problem with that,” he said.
Photo: US Ambassador to South Sudan, Molly Phee during the launch of national peace centre – March 3, 2016. (Victor Lugala/USAID)