Norway closes embassy in South Sudan amid escalating violence

Norway announced on March 26th the temporary closure of its embassy in South Sudan due to escalating security concerns, urging its citizens to leave the country amidst ongoing armed clashes.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide explained that the security situation in South Sudan had significantly worsened in recent times, as reported by AL24 News.

He stated, “While this primarily affects the civilian population, it also compromises the safety and freedom of movement of our personnel.”

Consequently, Norway has decided to close its embassy in Juba, the South Sudan capital, until further notice, the minister confirmed.

In addition to the embassy closure, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a travel advisory, strongly recommending that Norwegians avoid traveling to South Sudan.

Those already in the country were urged to evacuate.

Diplomatic matters related to South Sudan will now be managed by the Norwegian embassy in Nairobi until further notice.

The violence in South Sudan has intensified as federal forces loyal to President Salva Kiir continue to clash with factions supporting Vice President Riek Machar, despite a peace agreement signed in 2018.

With the ongoing conflict, South Sudan is at risk of descending back into a civil war similar to the one that raged from 2013 to 2018.

That conflict, which pitted Kiir’s forces against Machar’s, led to nearly 400,000 deaths and displaced 4 million people.

AL24 News