UK team deployed to South Sudan to assess peacekeeping commitment

A UK military team deployed to South Sudan to look at what role the UK could play as part of a contribution to ongoing UN peacekeeping, the Ministry of Defense posted on its website.

Around 12 UK Armed Forces personnel traveled to the country this week in order to assess how the UK can provide their support as part of a wider contribution to the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

This deployment follows UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s announcement in September at the UN General Assembly in New York that the UK will double its contribution to active peacekeeping in 2016, with plans to deploy troops to South Sudan as well as Somalia.

"This is another demonstration of the flexibility and global reach of our Armed Forces," UK Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said.

"It will support UN efforts to end some of the world’s most destabilizing conflicts, helping to tackle a key driver of migration," he added.

Once this initial scoping assessment is complete, further troops may be sent to South Sudan to carry out specific tasks such as providing vital engineering work to strengthen infrastructure and further advisory support.

Source: MENA