Greetings.

Most reports indicate that the overall situation in South Sudan is becoming increasingly dangerous and volatile.  Opposition troops have attacked towns and facilities in the north of the country.  The conflict seems to be worsening along ethnic lines and the number of people seeking refuge with the United Nations is growing steadily.  Both the United Kingdom and China have joined the United States and other countries in advising and supporting the evacuation of their nationals.  The telltale symptoms of a disaster and/or civil war are becoming more prominent.

Thankfully, over the last 24-48 hours there has been enough calm in Juba, and the airport has remained open long enough, for evacuations to begin.  To date, eight expatriate or third country national Abt staff have been evacuated to Entebbe, Uganda or Nairobi, Kenya.  Three other Abt staff have confirmed seats on evacuation flights scheduled to depart by Monday, December 23.

Our thoughts and prayers must be with our remaining South Sudanese staff.  Because of the impending holidays, plans were already in place to close offices or minimize office hours.  To the extent possible, we will continue to use our emergency notification/telephone tree and other means available to stay in touch with our South Sudanese staff and monitor the evolving situation on the ground.  We hope to receive operational guidance from our USAID client , but in the meantime, we will continue to develop plans which will position Abt to restart implementation of our projects in South Sudan, when authorized and when conditions permit.

I express my sincerest appreciation for the dedication and bravery of all of our staff working in South Sudan and I wish them and their families safety, comfort and peace during these troubled times.

Best regards,

Jay

Jay L. Knott | Executive Vice President, Chief Business Officer | Abt Associates

O: 301-347-5896| F: 301-828-9739 | www.abtassociates.com

Note: This communication was sent BCC: All Staff Abt, All Abt JTA, All Abt SRBI