South Sudan won't cooperate with 4,000 extra UN force

The UN Security Council has approved to deploy additional forces to South Sudan but the country says it would not accept the decision.

The 15 member council voted on Friday despite opposition from the government in Juba, for the deployment of a 4,000 strong regional force. 11 members voted in favour with the remaining four abstaining.

The United States had presented a proposal on setting up the protection force to ensure security in the capital and deter attacks on UN bases.

In voicing their opposition, Ateny Wek Ateny, spokesperson for President Salva Kiir said, the government would not cooperate with the world body.

“This is very unfortunate and we are not going to ‘cooperate’ on that because we will allow our country to be overtaken by the UN,” he told Reuters.

Adding that, “Any force that will be called Juba Protection force will not be accepted.”

The approved force would be join a 12,000-strong UN peacekeeping mission already in Africa’s youngest nation.

The Security Council has long-threatened to impose an arms embargo on the young African nation. Last week, the government agreed to the force during a summit of the East African bloc IGAD.

However, on Wednesday the government raised concerns and rejected the proposal.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan UNMISS, has come under criticism for failing to protect civilians when UN sites came under attack last month.

The UN has voiced concerns at the humanitarian situation in the country and in particular violence against civilians

IGAD has backed the African Union and United Nations proposal to send troops into South Sudan.

The latest bout of violence is a fresh blow to a peace deal that has failed to end the civil war that broke out in December 2013.

Reuters