The Security Council renews the UN mission in South Sudan for one year

March 16 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The United Nations Security Council reported on Wednesday that it will extend the UN mission in South Sudan for another year.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has been extended with 12 votes in favor and two abstentions, from China and Russia, and will maintain 17,000 troops and 2,101 police officers in the country, according to a UN statement.

As points to focus in the coming months, the UN indicates that the mission must ensure “effective and timely protection, deal with any actor that is preparing attacks against civilians or displaced persons, and maintain a proactive deployment to ensure a mobile, flexible posture , robust and effective”.

The Human Rights organization has called on UNMISS to strengthen its actions on sexual and gender-based violence, as well as call on the Government of South Sudan to expedite the creation of a plan to address sexual violence in conflict situations.