A group of 150 U.S. Marines will be deployed to war-torn South Sudan to help Americans evacuate and provide support and security to the American embassy, CNN reported.
The U.S. troops will be arriving in Africa from Spain and most likely stay in Djibouti. There are an estimated 100 Americans in the troubled region, where violence continues to erupt and increase death tolls.
According to the United Nations, a total of 40,000 civilians have taken refuge in their bases around the country and around 62,000 people have been displaced.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Sunday at a news conference in the Philippines that the U.N. plans to send resources and peacekeeping missions in the country. They have already taken nonessential staff out of the country's capital, Juba, and placed them in neighboring Uganda.
Several countries have escorted their citizens out of South Sudan to save them from the violence. On Sunday, the State Department announced they successfully rescued 15 Americans so far.
"The United States and the United Nations, which has the lead for securing Bor airport in South Sudan, took steps to ensure fighting factions were aware these flights were a humanitarian mission," said State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki in a statement.
"The U.S. government is doing everything possible to ensure the safety and security of United States citizens in South Sudan. We are working with our allies around the world to connect with and evacuate U.S. citizens as quickly and safely as possible."
Doctors Without Borders emphasized they are "deeply concerned" for the safety and well being of citizens affected by the violence.
"Yesterday while setting up the mobile clinic for the displaced in Juba, there was still a queue of people arriving carrying all their belongings, with their children in tow. With the ongoing conflict in the country, people are unsure of how the situation will evolve and are scared to return home," Forbes Sharp, the group's emergency coordinator, said in a statement.
"The situation is evolving fast in South Sudan and we are reacting as best we can to the changing landscape of the violence."
