Two British police officers banned from Southern Sudan peacekeeping mission

The British officers, along with seven German and three Swedish officers, were pulled out of the war-ravaged country over concerns for their safety.^[1]

They were then "dis-invited" by the UN peacekeeping mission, who said lead co-ordinators had not been consulted on the move.

UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said their departure had affected "the operational capability of the mission and the morale of staff".

The operation includes 1,200 police officers out of a 13,500-strong peacekeeping force.

Meanwhile there were reports that a leaked internal memo quoted UN officials questioning if Britain is worthy of being a veto-power on the Security Council as a result of the withdrawal.

The UN's peacekeeping spokesman, Nick Birnback, dismissed the claims.

References

1. ^{^} over concerns for their safety. (www.telegraph.co.uk)