Germany temporarily shuts embassy in South Sudan amid fears of civil war

FILE PHOTO: South Sudan's President Salva Kiir Mayardit prepares for a group photo during the opening of the 38th Ordinary Session of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union at the African Union Commission (AUC) headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, February 15, 2025. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File Photo

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany has temporarily closed its embassy in South Sudan's capital Juba because of rising tensions that have brought the East African country to the verge of civil war, the German foreign ministry said on Saturday.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir this week sacked the governor of Upper Nile state, where clashes have escalated between government troops and an ethnic militia he accuses of allying with his rival, First Vice President Riek Machar.