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South Sudan says will only accept African troops from outside the region

Xinhua, September 15, 2016 Adjust font size:

South Sudan dosen't want neighboring countries like Sudan, Uganda and Ethiopia to be contributors to a 4,000-strong protection force proposed to be deployed to the war-torn nation, a presidential spokesperson has said.

Ateny Wek Ateny told Xinhua in an interview on Thursday that regional countries of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) bloc that proposed the idea of the protection force had conflicting interests in South Sudan.

"We have not rejected the protection force but rather that the troop contributing countries must be not within the borders," Ateny said.

The IGAD proposed the deployment of the protection force following renewed fighting in July between South Sudan's rival army factions. The regional bloc groups countries like Sudan, Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia that neighbour South Sudan.

"We don't want Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda. These are countries that have direct interests and this will bring them into conflict," Ateny said without mentioning Kenya.

In August, the UN Security Council voted to allow the deployment of the African protection force to beef up the already existing 12,000-strong UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan in protecting civilians and key installations.

The July fighting between forces led by President Salva Kiir and those loyal to former First Vice President Riek Machar, Kiir's long-time rival, killed at least 300 people and displaced thousands to neighbouring countries.

Ateny also said that the UN Security Council should involve the South Sudan government in discussions about the armaments for the protection force before its deployment.

South Sudan had initially rejected the proposal of the protection force but later accepted it amid pressure from the international community.

In another development, the UN Security Council on Wednesday called on South Sudan to take immediate steps to facilitate the deployment of the protection force after its delegation concluded a fact-finding mission in the country.

South Sudan has been torn by a civil war between factions of Kiir and Machar which erupted in December 2013 and left tens of thousands dead. Endit