10 July 2016, 20:33 GMT
TOKYO (Sputnik) – Japanese authorities have decided to evacuate the Japanese humanitarian mission's staff from South Sudan due to the escalation of violence in the African country, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters Monday.
According to Suga, Tokyo is planning to send a charter plane to South Sudan in order to evacuate the 47 humanitarian workers of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Tokyo has made sure that around 70 Japanese nationals in Juba are safe, the official added.
Renewed fighting broke out last week between the soldiers of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), loyal to President Salva Kiir, and the SPLA in Opposition, which is supporting First Vice President Riek Machar. According to media reports, over 300 people have been killed.
