By John Ikani
The UN Security Council voted on Tuesday to prolong its peacekeeping mission in South Sudan for one more year.
The resolution sets the end of the mission’s mandate on March 15th, 2023.
The current level of deployment should remain unchanged and up to 17,000 blue helmets and 2,100 police officers can be mobilized.
Under the extension, the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) will remain in the world’s newest nation until March 15, 2023.
The resolution which was voted by 13 members of the Security Council states three primary goals to the peacekeeping mission: prevent a return to civil war in South Sudan, to build durable peace, support inclusive and accountable governance as well as free, fair, and peaceful elections.
AP news agency reported that Russia and China abstained from the vote.
While China indicated that it was in favor of the extension, the country’s deputy UN ambassador, Dai Bing, criticized the US for pushing “for inclusion of many human rights-related texts, resulting in a very unbalanced draft resolution.”
Similarly, Russia’s deputy ambassador Anna Evstigneeva expressed regret that the resolution “did not duly reflect the positive developments in this young state” and instead “fixated on negative aspects” leaving the text “misbalanced.”
The peacekeeping operation is one of the most expensive for the U.N., with an annual budget surpassing $1 billion.
A deal signed in 2018 by President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar stipulates general elections should be conducted in 2023.
After a civil war between 2013-2018 that killed at least four hundred thousand people and forced 1 million to flee the conflict archenemies Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar signed a peace deal in 2018.
The peace agreement stipulates general elections should be conducted in 2023.
Due in part to ongoing feuds between the two rivals, the peace agreement remains largely unimplemented.
