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JUBA, South Sudan (AP) \u2014 Thousands of civilians have fled an opposition-held town in eastern South Sudan following an evacuation order issued by the army to pave the way for a military operation, officials said Sunday.<\/p>\n
The exodus from Akobo, near the border with Ethiopia, began on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe town is now almost empty,” said Nhial Lew, a local official in charge of humanitarian affairs. “Women, children and the elderly have left and crossed into Ethiopia.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the government\u2019s deadline to evacuate was supposed to expire on Monday afternoon, fighting has been reported west of Akobo since Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are hearing the sound of machine guns approaching,\u201d Lew said on Sunday evening.<\/p>\n
The national army, called the South Sudan People\u2019s Defense Forces, ordered the U.N. Mission in South Sudan, or UNMISS, to close its Akobo base on Friday.<\/p>\n
Nongovernmental organizations and civilians were also asked to evacuate \u201cin order to avoid unnecessary collateral damage,\u201d as the government prepares a military assault targeting \u201cAkobo and surrounding areas,\u201d according to a statement by military spokesperson Lul Ruai Koang.<\/p>\n
Akobo is one of the last strongholds of the Sudan People\u2019s Liberation Movement-In Opposition, or SPLM-IO, led by Riek Machar, South Sudan\u2019s detained vice president.<\/p>\n
A 2018 peace deal between Machar and President Salva Kiir has nearly collapsed since fighting resumed between their forces last year.<\/p>\n
Confrontations have dramatically increased in the northern part of Jonglei since December, when opposition forces captured government outposts. They were repelled by a government counteroffensive that displaced more than 280,000 people in a few weeks.<\/p>\n
The town of Akobo, located in the far east of South Sudan and under opposition control since the civil war that erupted in 2013, was seen as a relatively safe haven. The presence of a small contingent of U.N. peacekeepers has led more than 82,000 displaced people to seek refuge in and around Akobo.<\/p>\n
UNMISS hasn’t officially responded to the government\u2019s order to shut down its base.<\/p>\n
Two U.N. flights evacuated most humanitarian workers on Sunday. The International Committee of the Red Cross runs a surgical unit at the Akobo County Hospital, where several wounded patients were being treated. The ICRC hadn’t yet evacuated its staff.<\/p>\n
But fear of an imminent assault on Akobo has local health authorities concerned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are worried for our patients at the hospital,” said Dual Diew, the Akobo County health director. “We tried to make a plan to take them to a safer location, but we don\u2019t have enough fuel.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Saturday, civilians in Akobo demonstrated against the army\u2019s ultimatum and marched toward the U.N. base calling for peace and protection.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n