Arrival of the United Nations  Regional Force in South Sudan
Channel: UNMISS VIDEOS
Date: 2017-08-09

The arrival of a UN regional force in South Sudan will enable the UN Mission in the country, UNMISS to free up additional peacekeepers to mount more “patrols along insecure roads,” the head of the Mission, David Shearer has said.

Mr Shearer, who is also the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in South Sudan was speaking in Juba following the arrival, over the weekend, of the first 120 soldiers of the Rwandan battalion of the Regional Protection Force (RPF).

The RPF was mandated by the UN Security Council with a maximum troop strength of 4000 and will bolster the Mission’s capacity to deter violence and protect civilians in the South Sudanese capital, Juba.

The 15-member Council authorized the force in the wake of the violence in Juba in July 2016.

The RPF troops will be based in Juba and will operate if necessary, in the surrounding areas…as per the mandate authorized by the UN Security Council – and will carry out its functions in cooperation with the government as also expressed by the Security Council resolution.
The RPF is not a separate UN peacekeeping force, but will be under the command of the UNMISS Force Commander, Lieutenant General Frank Kamanzi of Rwanda who will report to the Mission head, David Shearer.