December 27, 2013 - 7:45 AM
OTTAWA - The Canadian government is pulling all its diplomats and staff out of South Sudan over concerns for their safety.
Lynne Yelich, a Conservative minister of state, says in a release that operations at Canada's office in Juba have been temporarily suspended and all staff moved to the Canadian high commission in Nairobi, Kenya.
Yelich attributed the move to what she called the "unpredictable security environment" in South Sudan.
The Canadian exodus comes as the South Sudanese government agreed today to end hostilities following a failed coup that has sparked escalating internal violence across the world's newest country.
More than 120,000 people have been displaced by the fighting, which involves warring factions of the country's military.
While East African leaders meeting in Kenya hailed South Sudan's announcement of a ceasefire, the alleged renegade leader of the attempted coup remains a fugitive and was not party to the deal.
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News from © The Canadian Press, 2013