30 OFWs arrive from South Sudan

MANILA, Philippines - Thirty overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in South Sudan have been repatriated while 57 were evacuated to neighboring countries to ensure their safety amid an intensifying conflict.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said Thursday the Philippines’ Rapid Response Team met with a number of Filipinos in Juba and their employers last Dec. 30 and that three area coordinators were designated for Juba to assist in the implementation of the Philippine embassy’s contingency plan.

“So far, our embassy has confirmed that there are still 48 OFWs in Juba and four others are in a town called Paloch, an hour and a half away by plane from Juba,” Hernandez said.

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir declared on Wednesday a state of emergency in two states, Unity and Jonglei. The capitals of the two regions are now controlled by rebel forces loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar.

Kiir’s negotiators prepared for peace talks with rebels to end more than two weeks of violence that has pushed the country toward civil war.