Up to 500 people killed in South Sudan capital
Fighting between South Sudanese soldiers has spread to the flashpoint town of Bor, raising fears of a broader civil conflict in the two-year-old nation.
An official in Bor said soldiers attacked each other at two military barracks there. Some reports suggest the violence is increasingly becoming a conflict between ethnic groups, although the government has denied this.
The U.S. has started evacuating non-essential embassy staff and citizens from South Sudan. People on Wednesday were evacuated from Juba airport on flights organised by the U.S. State Department.
The British and Dutch governments are preparing the evacuation of their citizens, with other nations expected to follow.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry has warned its citizens against traveling to South Sudan.
Soldiers in the capital Juba have clashed since Sunday. The UN had reports of between 400 and 500 people killed and up to 800 wounded.
The president, Salva Kiir, said the clash was an attempted coup launched by Vice President Riek Machar’s supporters. But Machar has reportedly denied any role in the fighting or any coup attempt.
