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 The fighting, which began on December 15, has split the world's
newest state along ethnic lines, between President Salva Kiir's
Dinkas and former vice president Riek Machar's Nuer group, and
raised fears of regional instability.
Kiir's government and the rebels have sent negotiators to
neighboring Ethiopia for peace talks. They have yet to meet
face-to-face but have separately met mediators from the East African
bloc IGAD.
"We are not suspending our operations. We are just minimizing our
presence," Susan Page, the U.S. ambassador to Juba, told Reuters.
An emergency message to U.S. citizens on the embassy's website said
the move was due to a "deteriorating security situation". It said
there would be an evacuation flight on Friday arranged by the U.S.
State Department.
Kiir's government and the rebels loyal to Machar have agreed to a
ceasefire, mediators say, but there is no agreement yet on a
starting date and some diplomats say both sides still seem more
intent on maneuverings for military advantage. MILITARY ADVANCES
Rebel spokesman Moses Ruai Lat, based in the northern state of
Unity, said on Friday his comrades, who have seized control of
Jonglei state's capital Bor, were now marching towards Juba and were
already "close" to the capital. His comments came a day after the
Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), which is loyal to the
government, said its forces were advancing on Bor, a strategic town
some 190 km (118 miles) by road north of Juba, to meet rebel militia
heading south.
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Such reports will fan concerns of a further escalation in violence
that has already killed 1,000 people in South Sudan, a country the
size of France with nearly 11 million people that seceded from Sudan
in 2011.
Kiir has accused his long-term political rival Machar, whom he
sacked in July, of starting the fighting in a bid to seize power.
Machar denies the claim.
In the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, the peace negotiations have
got off to a slow start.
"Both delegations are meeting the mediators separately," said Dina
Mufti, a spokesman for Ethiopia's foreign ministry. "We hope to
bring both sides into face-to-face talks soon."
(Writing by Richard Lough; editing by Gareth Jones)
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