Australia will send two military aircraft to South Sudan to help UN peacekeeping efforts there.
Acting prime minister Warren Truss said on Thursday the mission will be for two weeks.
AAP reports the C-17A Globemaster and C-130 Hercules aircraft may be involved in moving military personnel and evacuating civilians endangered by an outbreak of further hostilities.
"We trust that this mission will be relatively brief, that it will be able to make a constructive contribution to this United Nations force and a peaceful return to South Sudan just as soon as possible," Mr Truss said.
No additional personnel other than aircraft crew will be deployed, he said.
Mr Truss urged Australians to leave the country, adding that commercial air services are still available.
South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after more than two decades of brutal civil war.
