UN extends South Sudan peacekeeping mission for another year

PanARMENIAN.Net - The UN Security Council has extended a peacekeeping mission in South Sudan for another year amid concerns that the ongoing unstable situation in the country threatens peace and security in the region, according to RIA Novosti.

The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) was established in 2011 after South Sudan won independence in a referendum that came as part of a 2005 peace deal to end decades of civil war.

In his recent statement on South Sudan, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said while UN peacekeepers focus on the protection of civilians it was the government’s primary task to provide security in the country.

“A peacekeeping mission, however configured, cannot replace the Government, which is also responsible for ensuring the safety and security, and freedom of movement, of United Nations personnel and assets deployed to assist it in this regard,” Ban Ki-moon was quoted as saying on UN website.

According to UN data, the peacekeeping mission in South Sudan currently totals over 6,780 of personnel.