Germany has temporarily closed its embassy in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, due to escalating tensions that threaten to plunge the country into civil war.
The decision was made after President Salva Kiir sacked the governor of Upper Nile state, sparking clashes between government troops and an ethnic militia allegedly allied with First Vice President Riek Machar.
The German Foreign Ministry expressed concern, stating that South Sudan is “once again on the brink of civil war” after years of fragile peace.
The ministry urged President Kiir and Vice President Machar to take responsibility for ending the violence and implementing the peace agreement.
The United Nations’ peacekeeping chief, Nicholas Haysom, also warned that the country is “on the brink of relapse into civil war”.
The temporary closure of the German embassy underscores the international community’s growing unease over the deteriorating security situation in South Sudan.
