Foreign Minister Steinmeier on the evacuation of German nationals from South Sudan

BERLIN, Germany, December 20, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier issued the following statement at the Federal Foreign Office this morning (20 December):

Conditions in South Sudan are such that we had to take emergency measures to evacuate and fly out German nationals living there.

A Bundeswehr plane landed in the capital Juba this morning. The operation is currently underway. The first 55 German nationals are being flown out and will arrive in Uganda shortly. A second flight may follow.

I think this is good news for those waiting for help in South Sudan.

A total of 55 people have been evacuated on the first flight. The vast majority of them are German nationals, the rest French, Swiss and Netherlands nationals. A second flight is planned.

Those who have been evacuated are being taken to Entebbe, where the German Embassy will provide them with assistance.