S/Sudan: Juba refuses increase of UN peacekeepers

Copyright : APA

South Sudan government has refused UN plan to send more peacekeepers to the East African country, reports said on Tuesday.The refusal comes few days after UK announced that it will send 370 troops to the young state to help in the peace agreement and cease fire implementation.

South Sudanese foreign affairs ministry spokesman Mawien Makol told the press in Juba that the government does not support the move to increase the numbers of United Nations troops in the young nation.

However Mr. Makol has further conditioned that Juba should be fully be involved in negotiations for the deployment of extra peacekeepers in the country.

We are not for the increment of the troops of the UN in south Sudan” the official stated.

The British Prime Minister David Cameroon told reporters that Britain would send 370 soldiers to help train and advise the 12, 000 strong peacekeeping forces in South Sudan.

At least 200,000 civilians are at the Protection of Civilians (PoC) sites across the country having fled their homes following deadly clashes between the country’s warring factions. An agreement to end the conflict was signed last month and a Transitional Government of National Unity is expected to be in place later this year.