UN support sought for South Sudan regional force

A proposed U.N. resolution would establish a 4,000-strong regional force to provide security in South Sudan’s capital and deter attacks on U.N. sites where over 30,000 civilians have sought refuge from fighting.

The draft Security Council resolution, circulated by the United States and obtained Monday by The Associated Press, would make the regional force part of the U.N. peacekeeping force in South Sudan and raise its strength to a ceiling of 17,000 soldiers and international police.

IGAD, an African regional bloc, announced late Friday that South Sudan’s government has accepted the deployment of a regional force, reversing its previous rejection.

The draft calls for a Security Council vote on an arms embargo against the African country if Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reports that South Sudan’s authorities have blocked deployment of the regional force.