South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, ravaged by nearly three years of civil war, has given consent to the deployment of an additional regional force of 4,000 troops that will serve under the United Nations to beef up security in the capital, Juba.
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The countries contributing troops to the force, UNMISS and the government would “continue to work through the modalities of deployment”, the statement said.
The South Sudan government opposes the proposed additional peacekeepers on the grounds that their mandate violates national sovereignty.
Martin Andrea, 10, and a friend play with toy guns made from long grass reeds at a displaced persons camp protected by United Nations peacekeepers in Wau, South Sudan, September 4, 2016.
Also speaking to reporters, the other co-head of the delegation, Senegals Ambassador Fod Seck, said that when resolution 2304 authorizing the regional protection force was adopted, the African members of the Council namely Angola, Egypt and Senegal highlighted the importance of national sovereignty, and that the forces deployment must be carried out in collaboration with the Government of South Sudan.
UN Security Council secures consent from South Sudan’s government for deployment of additional forces.
Ambassador Samantha Power spoke Saturday as the U.N. Security Council continued a rare visit to the country on the brink of renewed civil war.
According to the permanent representative of the United States to the United Nations Samantha Power, it’s been painfully hard for the United Nations to do its work in South Sudan. “So we will not even accept a single soldiers, we will not accept that”, Kiir said in mid-July.
The new force has a focus on protecting civilians. The council ambassadors are due to meet with African Union officials in Ethiopia on Monday.
The global community is extremely frustrated with the obstruction of United Nations peacekeeping operations that has gone on for too long, she said.
He argued that the opposition forces of the SPLA-IO loyal to Machar are far more disciplined than the forces loyal to Kiir, saying this was demonstrated during the recent fighting in Juba where no opposition forces involved in the looting of civilians in the locations they briefly controlled in the capital, including Gudele area to the west.
“They agreed that the humanitarian and security needs of the people were paramount”. And we are all extremely shocked and horrified by the rapes and the violence which is continuing.
WAU, South Sudan-Dressed in a ripped T-shirt and shorts, 10-year-old Martin Andrea raises a toy AK-47 assault rifle made of long grass reeds to his shoulder and takes aim at no-one in particular on a red dirt road in Wau in northwestern South Sudan.
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Security Council members visited the United Nations camp Saturday.
