NAIROBI — The United States has sent 150
Marines to a military base in Djibouti to respond as needed to the
crisis in South Sudan. Repositioning of soldiers comes after four U.S.
soldiers were wounded during an evacuation operation in Jonglei state.
The U.S. military’s Africa command, known as AFRICOM, said Tuesday that soldiers have arrived at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti from an airbase in Spain.
AFRICOM said this is the first time the Marine Air-Ground Task Force has deployed to Africa in support of an operational mission.
A spokesman for AFRICOM, Benjamin Benson, said the movement is based on the “possibility of threats against U.S. personnel and facilities” in South Sudan. “By positioning these forces forward we’re able to more quickly able to respond to a crisis in the region, if required,” he said.
On Tuesday, the U.N. human rights office said a mass grave has been discovered in the town of Bentiu, capital of Unity State. Spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani tells VOA that a U.N. official saw 14 bodies in a grave and 20 at a nearby riverside.
Shamdasani indicated the bodies could be those of some 75 Dinka army soldiers unaccounted for and feared dead.
The U.N. Security Council is due to vote Tuesday on a resolution to send 5,500 additional peacekeepers to South Sudan.
The country has been wracked by violence as a political rift between the president and his former vice president has divided the military against itself in some parts of the country. Witnesses also report a rise in inter-ethnic killings.
The U.S. sent 45 soldiers to South Sudan last week to protect civilians and to guard its embassy as U.S. citizens were airlifted from the country.
On Saturday, four U.S. soldiers were wounded when unknown gunmen shot at their helicopters during an evacuation mission in Jonglei state.
Benson said the military has adjusted its strategy in response to threats abroad following the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya last year that left four people dead, including a U.S. ambassador.
“One of the lessons learned from the tragic events of the Benghazi attacks in 2012 was that we needed to be better postured in order to respond to developing crisis situations if needed and so cautionary movements like this will allow us to do that.”
South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and former vice president Riek Machar have conditionally agreed to talks to resolve the current crisis.
Kiir has accused Machar of being behind an attempted coup that started the violence last week. Machar denies the charges but has stated his own presidential ambitions and has called on the armed forces to remove Mr. Kiir from power.
Soldiers who have defected from the military have taken control of the capitals of Jonglei and Unity States. The government has vowed to send troops to reclaim the territories.
The United Nations said more than 80,000 people have been displaced by the violence which has left hundreds dead in the past week.
The U.S. military’s Africa command, known as AFRICOM, said Tuesday that soldiers have arrived at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti from an airbase in Spain.
AFRICOM said this is the first time the Marine Air-Ground Task Force has deployed to Africa in support of an operational mission.
A spokesman for AFRICOM, Benjamin Benson, said the movement is based on the “possibility of threats against U.S. personnel and facilities” in South Sudan. “By positioning these forces forward we’re able to more quickly able to respond to a crisis in the region, if required,” he said.
On Tuesday, the U.N. human rights office said a mass grave has been discovered in the town of Bentiu, capital of Unity State. Spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani tells VOA that a U.N. official saw 14 bodies in a grave and 20 at a nearby riverside.
Shamdasani indicated the bodies could be those of some 75 Dinka army soldiers unaccounted for and feared dead.
The U.N. Security Council is due to vote Tuesday on a resolution to send 5,500 additional peacekeepers to South Sudan.
The country has been wracked by violence as a political rift between the president and his former vice president has divided the military against itself in some parts of the country. Witnesses also report a rise in inter-ethnic killings.
The U.S. sent 45 soldiers to South Sudan last week to protect civilians and to guard its embassy as U.S. citizens were airlifted from the country.
On Saturday, four U.S. soldiers were wounded when unknown gunmen shot at their helicopters during an evacuation mission in Jonglei state.
Benson said the military has adjusted its strategy in response to threats abroad following the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya last year that left four people dead, including a U.S. ambassador.
“One of the lessons learned from the tragic events of the Benghazi attacks in 2012 was that we needed to be better postured in order to respond to developing crisis situations if needed and so cautionary movements like this will allow us to do that.”
South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and former vice president Riek Machar have conditionally agreed to talks to resolve the current crisis.
Kiir has accused Machar of being behind an attempted coup that started the violence last week. Machar denies the charges but has stated his own presidential ambitions and has called on the armed forces to remove Mr. Kiir from power.
Soldiers who have defected from the military have taken control of the capitals of Jonglei and Unity States. The government has vowed to send troops to reclaim the territories.
The United Nations said more than 80,000 people have been displaced by the violence which has left hundreds dead in the past week.
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