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UN Cuts Peacekeeping Force Amid Rising Tensions in South Sudan
On Thursday, the United Nations Security Council voted to reduce the peacekeeping force ceiling in South Sudan from 17,000 to 12,000 troops, aiming to prevent a return to civil war in the world's newest nation.
Following independence in 2011, South Sudan suffered a civil war between President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar that killed more than 400,000 people before a 2018 peace agreement.
United States Ambassador Mike Waltz told the council the resolution seeks to get the force "back to basics," citing more than 480 incidents where peacekeepers faced obstruction between October and March.
The U.S.-drafted resolution passed 13-0 with Russia and China abstaining, though Russia's deputy ambassador Anna Evstigneeva argued for maintaining the mission's original troop ceiling to ensure sufficient resources.
Extending the mandate until April 30, 2027, the council supports South Sudan as it prepares for a long-delayed presidential election in December despite ongoing violence and the breakdown of the 2018 peace deal.