Dutch citizens asked to leave South Sudan

The Dutch government is preparing the evacuation of Dutch citizens in South Sudan, Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans said during a debate in parliament on Wednesday. The minister's remarks came after clashes erupted in South Sudan between forces loyal to South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and his former vice president Riek Machar. According to Timmermans, political instability in the country is rising and the situation in South Sudan is deteriorating. "It is impossible to predict how it will develop," he said. Dutch citizens currently in South Sudan are urged to prepare for departure, preferably with a commercial flight, but the Ministry of Defense will also help with the evacuation of the Dutch community. The Dutch embassy in the capital city of Juba, South Sudan, tried to contact the 154 registered Dutch citizens, of which 70 people have already indicated that they want to leave the country.