East African states to send troops to monitor South Sudan ceasefire
A member of South Sudanese anti-government forces patrols the streets of Malakal, on March 4, 2014 (AFP, Andrei Pungovschi)East African countries have agreed to send troops to South Sudan, to help enforce a shaky cease-fire deal between government and rebel forces.
The announcement came Thursday at a summit of the East African regional bloc IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) in Ethiopia\’s capital, Addis Ababa.
Ethiopia, Kenya, Burundi and Rwanda will contribute soldiers to the force, whose size was not announced.
Seyoum Mesfin, chief mediator of peace talks between South Sudan\’s warring factions, said the troops should begin arriving by mid-April.
IGAD is mediating peace talks between South Sudan\’s government and the rebels. The sides signed a cessation of hostilities agreement in January but clashes have continued.
The fighting and ethnic violence sparked by the conflict have killed thousands and caused nearly a million people to flee their homes.
Source: VOA AND AGENCIES
The Times of Earth ( TOE) founded in 1999, is a multilingual newspaper that is printed and circulated in many countries including some parts of the United States and Canada. It is considered as the largest trusted & respected international multimedia news/financial information source of the world.