The visiting UN UnderSecretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations says the Regional Protection Force will be deployed in Juba soon.

In August last year, the United Nations Security Council authorized the deployment of the 4,000-strong force, as part of the peacekeeping mission in South Sudan.

The Council said the aim was to improve security in Juba and its surroundings for a smooth implementation of the peace agreement.

The force was to be deployed before the end of last year, but it has delayed.

“We did lose time because there was…slowness in getting clearances authorization but we are sparing no effort to speed up,” Hervé Ladsous told reporters in Juba on Tuesday.

“It is about a vanguard of several units that will be deployed in the next few weeks – units from Rwanda, Nepal, and Bangladesh. Others will follow, Ethiopians and others.”

The RPF is mandated to protect key installations such as the airport, facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and use all means to deter attacks from any armed groups.

Mr Ladsous said an area has been identified as the base of the force in Juba, along the Yei road.

The Under-Secretary-General’s 2-day visit ends today.

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