U.S. Marines poised to enter South Sudan

[unhappycamper]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/23/world/africa/south-sudan-violence/



A mother displaced by recent fighting in South Sudan rests on top of her belongings inside a makeshift shelter at the United Nations Mission in Sudan on Monday, December 23. Clashes between rival groups of soldiers in the capital of Juba a week ago have spread across the country.

U.S. Marines poised to enter South Sudan
By Marie-Louise Gumuchian. Barbara Starr and Antonia Mortensen, CNN
updated 6:27 AM EST, Tue December 24, 2013

(CNN) -- About 150 U.S. Marines are poised to enter turbulent South Sudan to help evacuate Americans and provide security for the U.S. Embassy, if ordered to do so, two U.S. military officials said Monday.

The troops are moving from Moron, Spain, to the Navy's Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti.

An estimated 100 U.S. citizens are believed to be in South Sudan, where steady violence is stoking fears of an all-out civil war in the world's newest country.

"By positioning these forces forward, we are able to more quickly respond to crisis in the region, if required," read a statement from U.S. Africa Command.