U.S. Evacuates South Sudan Personnel Amid Clashes

Fighting after president said government forces had put down a coup

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The State Department ordered all non-essential employees to evacuate South Sudan on Tuesday and warned travelers to leave the country, as gun fights continued in the capital amid an apparent coup attempt.

On Monday, South Sudan president Salva Kiir said in a televised address that the government had put down an attempted coup led by a former deputy that began Sunday night, the Associated Press reports. While details remain murky, clashes appeared to have resumed Tuesday, leaving at least 66 soldiers dead, al-Jazeera reports.  The government also posted to its online the names of 10 senior government officials who were arrested in the coup.

The U.S. Mission in Juba used its Twitter feed to help keep American citizens in the country informed: