China evacuates embassy staff and medics from Juba
Two seriously wounded Chinese peacekeepers also flown out on medical rescue plane
China evacuated dozens of Chinese embassy staff and citizens from the South Sudanese capital, Juba, on the weekend as fierce fighting continued between rival forces in the city, state-run Xinhua reported on Sunday.
A delegation led by Major General Su Guanghui, acting director of the defence ministry’s Peacekeeping Affairs Office, arrived in Juba on Saturday and evacuated 17 embassy staff, 12 members of a Chinese medical team and 20 employees of various Chinese companies.
Two Chinese UN peacekeepers killed, two seriously injured in attack in South Sudan
The evacuees boarded a chartered flight that took them to Entebbe International Airport, about 40km south of the Ugandan capital Kampala, where they were greeted by China’s ambassador to Uganda, Zhao Yali.
The evacuation is part of a series of emergency measures taken by Beijing to protect its citizens amid an outbreak of fighting between the government troops of President Salva Kiir and forces loyal to Vice-President Riek Machar.
It followed the evacuation last week of more than 330 staff working for Chinese companies in South Sudan.