African leaders on July 18 approved a proposal to deploy a regional
protection force to South Sudan with a more robust mandate than the U.N.
peacekeeping mission currently there.
โThe U.N. doesnโt have the
mandate to impose peace,โ African Union (AU) Peace and Security
Commissioner Smail Chergui said at a summit in Kigali.
โThey are
there where there is peace to keep. African troops are ready to engage
in very difficult situations. It is our responsibility,โ he added.
A
shaky ceasefire has held in South Sudan for a week after four days of
bloody clashes between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and those
supporting his rival Vice-President Riek Machar.
At least 300 people were killed, and tens of thousands fled their homes.
The
violence raised fears of a breakdown in protracted efforts to end a
civil war that began in December 2013 with battles in Juba between the
same rival groups.
The 12,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping mission in
South Sudan, UNMISS, has faced criticism for failing to stem the latest
bloodshed or fully protect civilians during the fighting.
Meanwhile,
the U.N. said more than 5,000 people have fled South Sudan into
neighboring Uganda since the latest outbreak of violence began on July
7, voicing fears that more could follow.
An estimated 90 percent
of those who have crossed the border in recent days were women and
children, the U.N. refugee agency said.
The latest wave of
people are mostly fleeing from the southern state of Eastern Equatoria,
with others coming from the capital Juba.
