The United Nations Security Council voted on Tuesday to extend for a year the peace keeping mission in South Sudan.
UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan extended
In this Monday, Dec. 30, 2013 file photo, a United Nations armored vehicle passes displaced people walking towards the U.N. Protection of Civilians camp in Malakal, South Suda
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Ben Curtis/Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
The United Nations Security Council extended on Tuesday the peace security mission in South Sudan.
The resolution sets the end of the missions 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.
The resolution which was voted by 13 members of the Security council states 3 primary goals to the peacekeeping mission: prevent a return to civil war in South Sudan, to build durable peace, and support inclusive and accountable governance as well as free, fair, and peaceful elections. The operation is one of the most expensive for the U.N., with an annual budget surpassing $1 billion.
After a civil war that killed at least four hundred thousand people ans forced 1 million to flee the conflict President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar signed deal signed in 2018. The peace agreement stipulates general elections should be conducted in 2023.