Some South Sudanese citizens not being allowed to leave country

JUBA, South Sudan -- Some South Sudanese, even those with dual U.S. citizenship, are not being allowed to leave the country, even as the United States, India and other countries continued Thursday to evacuate their citizens while a fragile cease-fire appeared to hold.

An Associated Press reporter at the airport in the capital, Juba, saw authorities refuse about 20 dual South Sudanese-U.S. citizens from leaving the country, despite the presence of three U.S. Embassy staff.

One of the dual citizens said that if they are allowed to leave as U.S. citizens, the authorities confiscate their South Sudanese passports.

A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy did not immediately comment. The U.S. Embassy has said it was arranging flights out of the country for Americans.

South Sudanese trying to flee the country by road have reported being turned back from the border as they seek safety amid fears of a return to civil war.

In a statement, Amnesty International said it had received reports from two charter airline companies that "National Security Service officers have ordered them not to carry South Sudanese nationals, particularly men."

The London-based rights group called the restrictions "totally unacceptable" and called for safe passage for civilians.

A convoy of Ugandan troops moving into South Sudan's capital for evacuations was ambushed by gunmen who were repulsed following an exchange of fire, Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda, the Ugandan military spokesman, said. Three Ugandan soldiers were hurt, he said.

Other countries were arranging flights for their citizens. India's external affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj, announced that two aircraft had landed in Juba for evacuations.

Other evacuees have already landed in neighbouring Kenya and Uganda and elsewhere.

Germany's foreign office said those evacuated on Wednesday included three wounded Chinese peacekeepers from the U.N. mission in South Sudan and citizens from Britain, France, Poland, Norway, Australia, Canada, Kenya and other countries.

A fourth wounded Chinese peacekeeper with leg injuries was airlifted Thursday to Uganda.

"We are all shocked by that, and we condemn strongly this attack," said the Chinese ambassador to Uganda, Zhao Yali.

About 40 other Chinese nationals were brought to Uganda on another flight Thursday.

Also Thursday, the World Food Program said it was outraged by the looting of its main warehouse in Juba, which had held more than 4,500 metric tons of food as well as trucks, generators and other supplies for countrywide operations.