Crisis alert level 3 up in South Sudan, OFWs told to leave

ADDS THE ID OF PERSON AT CENTER – In this photo released by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), the U.N.’s Deputy Special Representative and Humanitarian Coordinator Toby Lanzer, center, assists wounded civilians from Bor, the capital of Jonglei state and said to be the scene of fierce clashes between government troops and rebels, after they were transported by U.N. helicopter to Juba, South Sudan Sunday, Dec. 22, 2013. South Sudan’s central government lost control of the capital of a key oil-producing state on Sunday, the military said, as renegade forces loyal to a former deputy president seized more territory in fighting that has raised fears of full-blown civil war in the world’s newest country. (AP Photo/UNMISS)

MANILA, Philippines – Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in South Sudan were advised to undergo voluntary repatriation after the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday raised crisis alert level 3 there.

“Filipinos in South Sudan are enjoined to seek repatriation assistance from the personnel of our embassy in Kenya or the Rapid Response Team which will depart tonight [Monday],” DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez said in a text message to media.

Reports said thousands have died in South Sudan following an attempted military coup against President Salva Kiir Mayardit.

Hernandez said the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) would impose a total ban on the deployment of OFWs to South Sudan.

Of the 95 Filipinos working in the area, 23 have gone to Kenya and 15 in Uganda.

“Those who are in Kenya are planning to return to the Philippines while… We have already requested the Ugandan government to allow our citizens to stay in its territory in the meantime,” he said.

The DFA is working to send five more workers home through a Manila-bound flight while eight others will soon be evacuated by their employers.

“We are also verifying reports that an undetermined number of Filipinos have recently evacuated to Khartoum in neighboring Sudan and Uganda. Efforts are now underway to locate these groups and the remaining OFWs in South Sudan,” Hernandez said.

During his visit to the Philippines, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon demanded an end to hostilities in the African country, asking both sides to find a political way out of the crisis.

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