South Sudan expels another aid worker

South Sudan has expelled a second aid worker with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in less than a week, the humanitarian agency said Wednesday.

The NRC said in a statement that its area manager in Alek, Warrap State, was told to leave South Sudan on Tuesday and has now arrived safely in Nairobi, Kenya.

"The order for a second senior staff member to leave is unacceptable. Aid organizations bringing relief to millions in South Sudan must be permitted to operate without interference, intimidation or fear of expulsion," NRC Secretary General Jan Egeland said.

"Ordering aid workers to leave the country without due process restricts the ability of relief organizations to save lives and reduce human suffering," Egeland added.

The latest expulsion came only four days after NRC Country Director for South Sudan was ordered to leave the country.

The NRC said it had not received any formal explanation of the charges against these two individuals.

"Without assurances from the authorities that we will be able to operate without interference, NRC may have to reassess our ability to deliver assistance at scale in South Sudan," said Egeland.

South Sudan descended into civil war in December 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused his sacked deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup.

The world's youngest nation ranks among the countries with the highest levels of conflict-induced population displacement globally.

Millions of South Sudanese have been forced from their homes -- almost 2 million internally displaced people and about 1 million people who fled to neighboring countries.

According to the UN, over 4 million people in the war-torn country are severely food insecure. Endit