LOC17:23
14:23 GMT
TOKYO, May 18 (KUNA) -- The Japanese government decided on Friday to extend the dispatch of four Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) officers to the UN mission's command in South Sudan to take part in UN peacekeeping operations there, the Foreign Ministry said.
The extension, until the end of May next year, was approved at a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day. The announcement comes after the UN Security Council adopted resolution in December, which extended the mandate of the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMISS) until 15 March 2019, the ministry said in a statement.
South Sudan gained independence in 2011 after a long civil war between the northern and the southern Sudan and the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
"The efforts to promote the stability of the nation including the national dialogue are currently being undertaken," it said, adding that the international community needs to remain united in continuing its support for these efforts, including urging the parties in South Sudan to implement the agreement.
Under the International Peace Cooperation Law, since November 2011, Japan has dispatched GSDF personnel to UNMISS. It withdrew an engineering unit last year, but continued the deployment of four staff officers at the headquarters of the UN mission to engage in logistics, intelligence, engineer, and air operations. (end)
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