The White House announced Wednesday that it had deployed exactly 47 United States military personnel to South Sudan with the very specific job of protecting U.S. citizens in and around the U.S. embassy.

According to numerous sources, the rise of deadly violence in the country derives from two factions battling one another — in the name of two opposing South Sudan leaders: the current president, Salva Kiir, and strangely enough, the vice president Riek Machar. Hundreds of people in the country, most of them civilians, have been killed by the fighting.

This from The Guardian:

“These deployed personnel will remain in South Sudan until the security situation becomes such that their presence is no longer needed,” the White House said in a statement.

The combat-ready troops arrived in South Sudan on Tuesday. An additional 130 military personnel currently in Djibouti are also prepared to provide support as necessary, the White House said.

Stay tuned to the blog for more on this developing story.