South Sudan rebel leader interview: 'I still hope for peace' Nonetheless, Mr Machar said that he would hold back from attacking Juba. "I'm being restrained by the international community and the talks, which I hope will yield some fruits," he said. We are making our defences so that we protect the areas we control. He added: "I hope that Salva Kiir stops pushing to retake the areas that are under our control so that we can have talks," Mr Machar refused to say how close his forces were to Juba. The possible threat to the capital triggered a further evacuation of foreign nationals on Friday. The US embassy announced on Friday that it was drawing down to a minimum of core staff. It urged any remaining American citizens to leave on an evacuation flight that departed in the morning. Philip Aguer, South Sudan's military spokesman, said the rebels were about 60 miles from Juba, but promised that they would be "defeated any time now." The US was "considering pulling out last night but decided to draw down instead," said one diplomat in Juba. A security expert said that a "tremendous amount of rumour" meant that an already skeletal United Nations was reducing its presence in Juba, despite the fact that 200,000 people have fled their homes across South Sudan, with about 70,000 seeking refuge inside UN bases. The security expert doubted whether the rebels had "the legs to come down to Juba," adding that the conflict had reached a "decisive point from a military perspective." He added: "Whichever way the military engagements go, it will impact significantly on the talks in the next 24 to 48 hours." On Thursday, the government declared a state of emergency in two states held by Mr Machar - Jonglei and Unity. The authorities say that Mr Machar mobilised thousands of youths from his Nuer ethnic group in Jonglei to fight under the banner of the "White Army" - a name derived from their tradition of daubing themselves in white ash before battle.