Norway’s foreign ministry announced on Wednesday that it is temporarily closing its embassy in Juba, South Sudan, due to worsening security conditions in the country.
The closure follows rising tensions in South Sudan after President Salva Kiir dismissed the governor of Upper Nile state last week. The move comes amid intensifying clashes between government forces and an ethnic militia, which Kiir alleges has aligned with his political rival, First Vice President Riek Machar.
The escalating violence has raised fears that South Sudan, which gained independence seven years ago after a brutal civil war, could be on the brink of a return to conflict.
Until the situation improves, Norwegian diplomatic operations in South Sudan will be transferred to the embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. The foreign ministry stated that the embassy in Juba will reopen once security conditions allow.
