Wednesday, November 2, 2016

South Sudan Peacekeeping Commander Fired Following Devastating Report

Foreign Policy published on 1 November 2016 an article titled "U.N. Chief Fires His Top Peacekeeping Commander in South Sudan" by Colum Lynch.

The UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) fell woefully short of its obligation to protect civilians in July 2016 as fighting between government and rebel forces blew up a fragile peace agreement and pitched Juba into chaos for four bloody days. Peacekeepers from several countries abandoned their posts. Ban Ki-moon has replaced the force commander, a lieutenant general from Kenya.

The government of Kenya responded to this action by announcing that it will withdraw its 1,000 troops from UNMISS and will not contribute to a new 4,000 strong civilian protection force in South Sudan. Kenya's Daily Nation covered the story in an article titled "UN Says It Values Kenya's Troop Presence in South Sudan" by Kevin J. Kelly.