The US State Department said it was carrying out an "ordered departure" of its staff from South Sudan. Through the civil war, however, world powers and regional states struggled to find leverage over the warring factions, despite US and European sanctions on some military leaders and African threats of punitive actions. Civil war broke out in 2013 a few months after Kiir sacked Machar as his deputy. Clemence Pinaud, an assistant professor at Indiana University and an expert on South Sudan, said that tensions increased in Juba during the past month. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday urged the Security Council to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan, sanction leaders and commanders who blocked the implementation of a peace deal and fortify the UNMISS mission.

Source: dna July 12, 2016 07:32 UTC