US Embassy evacuates staff in South Sudan

The United States evacuated embassy staff on Friday from South Sudan's capital, Juba, because of worsening security in the country, where more than 1,000 people have been killed in three weeks of fighting between armed rebels and government troops.

An emergency message to U.S. citizens published on the embassy's website said the move was due to South Sudan’s deteriorating security situation and that an evacuation flight was scheduled for Friday morning.

"We continue to urge U.S. citizens in South Sudan to depart the country," the message read. The U.S. ambassador to South Sudan, Susan Page, clarified to Reuters, "We are not suspending our operations. We are just minimizing our presence."

While it is not clear how many staff members will remain in the country, the embassy's message stated that no consular services will be provided to U.S. citizens in South Sudan as of Jan. 4, 2014.

The fighting, which began Dec. 15, has split the world's newest state along ethnic lines, between President Salva Kiir's Dinka and former vice president Riek Machar's Nuer, and raised fears of regional instability.

The government and rebels have sent negotiators to neighboring Ethiopia for peace talks. They have yet to meet face to face but have separately met with mediators from the East African bloc IGAD.

Kiir's government and the rebels loyal to Machar have agreed to a cease-fire, mediators say, but there is no agreement yet on a start date, and some diplomats say both sides still seem more intent on maneuvering for military advantage.

South Sudan's warring factions held preliminary meetings Friday ahead of the official negotiations in Ethiopia, mediators said.

Dina Mufti, a spokesman for Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry, said the introductory meetings were necessary to bridge the groups' differences before direct talks, expected to start Saturday in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa.

Amid continued fighting, South Sudan's government has declared a state of emergency in Unity and Jonglei, two states whose capitals are under rebel control.

On Thursday the central government warned that rebels loyal to Machar were preparing to march to Juba from Bor, Jonglei's capital, which has been the scene of fierce fighting.

South Sudan's military said Thursday it had sent reinforcements to Bor, 75 miles from Juba.

Kiir insists the fighting was sparked by a coup attempt on Dec. 15 mounted by soldiers loyal to Machar.

But that account has been disputed by some officials of the ruling party, who say the violence began when presidential guards from Kiir's Dinka tried to disarm those from Machar’s Nuer. From there, violence spread across the country, with forces loyal to Machar defecting and seizing territory from loyalist forces.

South Sudan has been plagued by ethnic tension and a power struggle in the ruling party, which escalated after Kiir dismissed Machar as his vice president in July. The opposition forces back Machar, who is now a fugitive sought by the military.

South Sudan broke away from Sudan in 2011 after a 2005 peace deal. The southern and northern parts of the country were embroiled in war for decades.

Al Jazeera and wire services