Japan extends deployment of forces to UN mission in South Sudan

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - Japan on Friday extended by one year the deployment of its Self-Defense Forces (SDF) personnel to the headquarters of the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, local media reported.

The government approved the extension until March 31, 2022 at a Cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, according to Kyodo News Agency.

This came after the UN Security Council in March extended by one year the mandate of UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

Japan has contributed to the mission since November 2011 and there are four SDF personnel currently working for the UNMISS.

The UNMISS is the only UN mission where Japan has deployed its personnel.

In 2017, Japan ended its five-year deployment of Ground Self-Defense Force civil engineering units to UNMISS but has kept SDF members stationed at the headquarters, according to the news agency.

Japan hopes its SDF members will “contribute to peace and stability in Africa.”

The UNMISS is “designed to advance a three-year strategic vision to prevent a return to civil war, build a durable peace, and support inclusive and accountable governance,” the Security Council had said in March.