Norway Citizens Still Urged to Leave South Sudan Amid Embassy Reopening.
Norway has quietly reopened its embassy in South Sudan after nearly two weeks of closure due to security fears. The gates in Juba are open again as of April 8 2025 after the situation on the ground showed slight signs of calming. The decision was confirmed through a statement by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs though no detailed reason was provided for the reopening.
The embassy had gone dark back on March 26 when rising instability in South Sudan forced a temporary pullout. For 13 days Norway held off on all in–person operations while monitoring safety conditions in the region.
Now that operations are resuming the Ministry has made it clear that the country’s travel warning remains unchanged. South Sudan is still flagged with the highest level of caution. Norwegians are being firmly advised not to travel there and citizens already in the country are urged to leave without delay.
The message from Norwegian authorities is blunt – their capacity to offer help is limited. Consular services may be out of reach in an emergency.
Germany however is not following suit just yet. Berlin had closed its South Sudan embassy even earlier on March 22 citing rising tensions that edge the nation closer to civil war. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stressed that local authorities must take responsibility and carry through on peace agreements.
She also underlined that embassy staff safety cannot be compromised and for now the German mission will stay closed. No update has been shared about when or if Germany plans to reopen its presence in Juba.
