Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta says his country will no longer contribute troops to the proposed Regional Protection Force.

This is part of the neighboring country’s reaction to the dismissal of ts national who served as the force commander.

“We intend to withdraw Kenyan troops from the mission and will discontinue our contribution of troops to the proposed Regional Protection Force,” Mr Kenyatta tweeted this afternoon.

“We will no longer contribute to a mission that has failed to meet its mandate and which has now resorted to scapegoating Kenyans.”

Following the deadly violence in Juba in mid-July between the presidential guards and soldiers loyal to opposition leader Riek Machar, the Security Council authorized a 4,000-strong regional protection force as part of the 12,000-strong UN peacekeeping mission already on the ground, UNMISS.

These troops would be contributed by the IGAD countries, including Kenya, which already has about 1,000 soldiers serving under the peacekeeping force.

The mandate of this force, led by IGAD member states, is ‘to facilitate … free movement in Juba; protect key facilities in Juba essential to the well being of the population; and promptly and effectively engage any actor that is credibly found to be preparing attacks, or engages in attacks against United Nations protection of civilian sites, other UN premises, UN personnel, international and national humanitarian actors or civilians’.

Consultations are now taking place between South Sudan and the region on the modalities of the deployment.