14 July,2016 05:36 AM IST | | Agencies
The US military in Africa says it has sent 40 additional soldiers to South Sudan’s capital, Juba, to help secure American personnel and facilities in the war-torn city
Nairobi: The US military in Africa says it has sent 40 additional soldiers to South Sudan's capital, Juba, to help secure American personnel and facilities in the war-torn city.
Amid a tense cease-fire that has held since Monday night, the US troops have been deployed at the request of the State Department, said Africom spokeswoman Cpt Jennifer Dyrcz.
In five days of fighting in the capital, President Salva Kiir's forces ousted those loyal to First Vice President Riek Machar from one of their bases. The fighting left hundreds dead in the capital and aid workers said bodies remain in the streets.
Many aid workers cannot get to desperate civilians because of the continued insecurity. There are reports of soldiers blocking aid workers from moving to areas with civilians.
Relief workers should be given freedom of movement, said the UN's humanitarian coordinator in South Sudan Eugene Owusu. "We urgently call on all concerned to guarantee safe access for humanitarian organisations to ensure that we are able to reach all people in need, including in locations hardest-hit by the fighting," he said.
36,000
The number of South Sudanese civilians, who have fled their homes
