Baghdad: Turkey has warned its citizens against traveling to South Sudan, against the backdrop of escalating tensions and armed conflicts in the country.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Turkish media quoted the Turkish Embassy in the South Sudanese capital, Juba, as saying that in light of recent developments and the spread of armed conflict to areas surrounding the capital, Juba, Turkish citizens have been warned not to travel to South Sudan unless necessary. It also called on Turkish citizens in South Sudan to remain in constant contact with the Embassy.

For his part, the Turkish Ambassador to Juba, Metin Ergin, said that the Embassy issued a travel warning last night for Turkish citizens considering traveling to South Sudan, based on an announcement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Republic of South Sudan, the world's newest country, gained independence from Sudan in a referendum in 2011. The country descended into civil war after President Salva Kiir dismissed his deputy, Riek Machar, on December 16, 2013, alleging he was planning a "coup attempt."

Despite the signing of two peace agreements in 2018 and 2022, armed conflict and violence have continued unabated. Recently, a militia force called the "White Army," composed largely of members of the Nuer tribe to which Riek Machar belongs, seized control of the town of Nasir in the northern Upper Nile state of the country. Subsequently, several generals and ministers from the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO), led by Riek Machar, were arrested.