(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) TOKYO, Oct. 25 (KUNA) -- The Japanese government on Tuesday decided to extend the deployment of Self-Defense Force (SDF) personnel for UN peacekeeping operations in South Sudan for another five months, the Foreign Ministry said.
The extension, till the end of March 2017, was approved at a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day. The decision comes after the UN Security Council decided in August to extend the operation of the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) until Dec.15, the ministry said in a statement.
South Sudan gained independence in July 2011 after the long civil war between the north and the south Sudan and the implementation of the peace agreement.
"Five years have passed since its independence, and currently domestic political disorder is a great challenge to the nation-building of South Sudan. Japan recognizes that peace and stability of South Sudan is important for the peace and stability of Africa, and that the international community needs to work cooperatively on this issue," the ministry said. The current Japanese mission is set to expire at the end of this month.
Japan has dispatched headquarters staff personnel and the Ground Self-Defense Force engineering unit to UNMISS since November 2011 and January 2012 respectively. Japanese ground troops have been engaged chiefly in infrastructure building such as the restoration of roads. "Security in South Sudan has worsened, but I believe the situation is relatively stable within Juba and meets Japan's criteria for dispatching peacekeepers," Defense Minister Tomomi Inada told reporters. "The SDF personnel can conduct meaningful activities while their safety is ensured," she added. (end).
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