South Sudan: Extra Peacekeepers Accepted

President Salva Kiir has finally given his consent for the deployment of 4,000 troops of the regional protection force.

Members of the United Nations Security Council mission to Juba, South Sudan left the country over the weekend satisfied that the country’s authorities accepted the deployment of 4,000 troops of the regional protection force, agreed to lift all restrictions on the peace keepers, as well as free movement for humanitarian workers in the country, Bloomberg reported citing the Cabinet Affairs Minister Martin Elia Lomoro.

“The transitional government of national unity gave its consent for the deployment,” a joint statement from the UN and government release disclosed. The UN officials travelled to Juba to convince government in talks held on September 2, 2016. This was because government  had  initially rejected the proposal of the deployment of the extra force which was offered earlier, stating that it lends the United Nations the ability to govern and "seriously undermines" South Sudan’s sovereignty.

Reports say in a vote on August 12, 2016 that the council renewed the UN Mission’s mandate and increased the number of peacekeepers deployed to 17, 000. The UN then threatened that it wou...