South Sudan's Transitional Government of National Unity has agreed to the deployment of a 4,000 person regional protection force mandated by the UN Security Council and expressed its willingness to implement a hybrid court to try war crimes.
In early July, fighting erupted again in South Sudan between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and forces loyal to the Opposition Leader Riek Machar, disrupting a shaky peace deal that had been signed between the two sides in 2015 after a civil war began in 2013, 2 years after South Sudan gained independence. Hundreds have been killed and thousands displaced, and both civilians and foreigners, including aid workers, have been targeted by soldiers who stand accused of rape and mock executions.
A joint communique issued by President Salva Kiir and a delegation from the UN Security Council following a meeting on Sunday, stated, "To improve the security situation, the Transitional Government of National Unity gave its consent to the deployment as part of UNMISS [UN Mission in South Sudan] of the Regional Protection Force," in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2304 which approved the deployment of a regional protection force in mid-August. Reuters reported that South Sudan's acquiescence to the regional force came after the threat of an arms embargo by the UN Security Council.
The joint communique also noted that the South Sudan Transitional Government is ready to implement chapter 5 of the agreement on the resolution of the conflict in South Sudan which requires the implementation of a hybrid court to try war crimes in South Sudan. The communique says that the government will worth with the African Union to set up this hybrid court.
The 4,000-person regional force will join the 12,000 UN peacekeepers already in the country who were deployed beginning in 2011 when South Sudan gained independence from Sudan. US Ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, who co-lead the Security Council delegation to South Sudan stated, "UNMISS has an impartial mandate to protect civilians, no matter who they are or where they are."
The Transitional Government has committed to presenting a plan on how to remove impediments to UNMISS' ability to implement its mandate which is expected by the end of September.
