Marines Evacuate Embassy in South Sudan

JUBA, South Sudan, January 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- As announced by the Department of State, due to the deteriorating security situation in South Sudan, (3 January), the United States has further reduced staffing at the Embassy in Juba.

The Department of Defense, at the request of the Department of State, assisted in the transportation of U.S. Embassy personnel, as well as several personnel from other nations, from Juba, South Sudan to Entebbe, Uganda.

Two KC-130 aircraft assigned to the Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force - Crisis Response (SPMAGTF-CR) element pre-positioned at Entebbe, Uganda were used to move the personnel.

Soldiers from the East Africa Response Force (EARF), assigned to USAFRCIOM, and under the command and control of Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa, will continue to provide security reinforcement to the U.S. Embassy in Juba.

The Department of Defense, supporting the Department of State, continues to work to ensure the safety and security of our citizens in South Sudan. We will continue to monitor the security situation in South Sudan in order to be postured to respond to the any additional requests from the Department of State.