The UN says it regrets the decision by the Kenyan government to withdraw troops from UNMISS following the sacking of the force commander.

Ban Ki Moon sacked General Johnson Ondieki, who is a Kenyan, after an internal investigation found that the mission failed to protect civilians in Juba in July.

Kenya rejected the dismissal and said it would withdraw its more than 1,000 troops from UNMISS and disengage from the South Sudan peace process.

In a statement, the Under-Secretary-General for UN Peacekeeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous, says Kenya has been a solid contributor to the mission.

Mr. Ladsous says the UN is assessing what consequences the Kenyan government decision will have on the regional protection force that the Security Council approved in September.

However, he says the UN respects the sovereign position of the Kenya government on the matter. Mr Ladsous spoke at a press conference in New York last evening.

“That of course is something we are the first to regret very much because Kenya has been a solid contributor of troops and police to the peace keeping operations,” he told reporters after closed-door consultations with the Security Council.

“It is their sovereign decision but I respect that but of course I regret it and we are assessing what consequences this has on the region protection force that was decided upon by the UN Security Council recently that we are trying into existence as soon a s possible,” he said.

Mr. Ladsous says UN has established a task force to carry out the recommendations of the report, which include ensuring greater accountability of the mission’s leadership.

“The Secretary-General has approved these recommendations, so we will try to move things forward as quickly as possible,” he said.

On Thursday Russia criticized Ban Ki-moon’s decision to fire the Kenyan force commander, saying it was premature.