Bangladeshi peacekeepers to replace Kenyans withdrawing from S. Sudan

Bangladeshi troops will arrive in South Sudan early next year to replace Kenyan peacekeepers, who are withdrawing from the country, the UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said Tuesday.

Bangladeshi already has 513 soldiers in the war-torn country and additional 815 troops are expected to arrive. They will replace the 1,165 Kenyan soldiers.

The withdrawal of Kenyan soldiers came in the aftermath of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sacking Kenyan Lt. General Johnson Ondieki, who was the head of the UN peacekeeping force in South Sudan.

The Kenyan government hit out at the sacking, saying it will not involve in peacekeeping mission in South Sudan anymore. So far, some 200 Kenyan peacekeepers have returned.

"A Bangladeshi reconnaissance team travelled to South Sudan last week, and met with UNMISS force headquarters in Juba to discuss logistical aspects of their advance deployment scheduled for early next year," acting UNMISS spokesman Persuad Shantal told Xinhua in Juba, capital of South Sudan.

She added that the team also visited UNMISS bases in Wau and Kuajok -- both northern towns, where Bangladeshi troops will be deployed to replace Kenyan soldiers.

South Sudan fell into civil war in December 2013 after a fall-out between President Salva Kiir and his sacked deputy Riek Machar.

The latest fighting between the rival factions broke out in July and recently the South Sudanese government accepted the deployment of an additional 4,000-strong African force to the country to boost the UNMISS.

Tens of thousands have died and more than two million have been displaced since late 2013 in the country. Endit