Phased Deployment Begins for Regional Protection Force in S Sudan - UN

According to UN, deployment of 4,000 soldiers to protect UN facilities in South Sudan has begun in phases, allowing peacekeeping units to venture further from the nation’s capital of Juba in an attempt to halt fighting in the nation's conflict.

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) – The deployment of 4,000 soldiers to protect UN facilities in South Sudan has begun in phases, allowing peacekeeping units to venture further from the nation’s capital of Juba in an attempt to halt fighting in the nation's conflict, the United Nations said in a press release on Tuesday.

"Having additional troops means we can carry out more tasks related to our mandate, to protect civilians and build durable peace," UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) chief David Shearer stated in the release.

The protection force will guard key facilities in the nation's capital, Juba, and the main routes into and out of the city, the release said.

The force will also provide protection at UN sites to protect civilians and other UN premises, the release also said.

Sudan is locked in a war between the rival Dinka and Nuer tribes, with Dinka forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and Nuer forces of former vice president Riek Machar.

Fighting has displaced more than 2 million civilians since the collapse of a 2015 peace agreement, according to the United Nations.