As the Russian air group in South Sudan ends its mission all the equipment will be withdrawn within a week, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Vladimir Drik said on Wednesday, March 7, RIA Novosti reported.

All Russian soldiers and helicopters will leave the African country by the end of this week, he added.

The move follows a Russian presidential decree after the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) ended on July 11, 2011.

Russia currently has eight helicopters and 120 personnel servicing the UNMISS.

A series of recent tribal clashes in the country, which just won its independence six months ago, is believed to have left some 3,000 people dead, according to local officials.