http://www.voanews.com/content/east-african-states-to-deploy-troops-in-south-sudan-in-april/1870446.html
E. African States to Deploy Troops in South Sudan
Marthe van der Wolf
March 13, 2014
ADDIS ABABA -- East African states say they will start deploying troops in
South Sudan by mid-April. East African heads of states met in Addis Ababa
to discuss the size and mandate of a stabilization and protection force in
the three-month old conflict.
Lead mediator Seyoum Mesfin says that troops from East African countries
should be deployed by mid-April, but he did not specify numbers.
"We should not wait until all the countries prepare and tell you that they
send," he said. "The usual U.N. mission, they prepare the camps first and
it takes them 6-9 months. We don't want to see this. We want to see the
effective implementation of this mechanism at the earliest possible time."
Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Burundi will send troops, and possibly also
Djibouti. Each country is being asked to also prepare a standby force in
their respective capitals, in case the troops in South Sudan need
reinforcements.
Soldiers loyal to South Sudan's President Salva Kiir have been fighting
rebels believed to support former vice president Riek Machar since
mid-December, following a political rift.
A cease-fire was agreed to in January but has been repeatedly violated by
both sides. Part of the truce deal called for monitoring and verification
teams to be sent to South Sudan.
Seyoum says leaders at Thursday's summit agreed that the stabilization
force will, in part, protect the cease-fire monitors.
"The mandate is protection and deterrence. They will protect the mechanism
for the verifying and monitoring mechanism for the cessation of
hostilities," said Seyoum. "They will also deter from any attack of
critical areas that are of paramount importance to the country."
A request to deploy the protection and stabilization force by mid-April has
been sent to the African Union and the United Nations Security Council. The
deployment, if approved, will be paid for by the international community.
Received on Thu Mar 13 2014 - 15:52:27 EDT