(ANSA) - Rome, December 18 - The government has started to evacuate Italians from South Sudan, and is prepared to do the same if required in the Central African Republic, Foreign Minister Emma Bonino said Wednesday. "We have started the evacuation from South Sudan, especially where there are humanitarian workers," Bonino told a hearing of the joint foreign and defence committees of the Lower House. Her comments come amid growing violence in South Sudan, which has struggled to create a stable government since it became independent from Sudan in 2011. Meanwhile, Bonino said, the government is also keeping a careful eye on conditions in the Central African Republic, torn by violence since its government fell in a coup in March. "We are ready, if required, to begin the evacuation in the Central African Republic," as well, she added.