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January 24, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – The Russian president Dmitry Medvedev issued a decree on Tuesday ordering his country’s troops to withdraw from the newly established nation of South Sudan who were serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
- Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev (Reuters)
According to the Kremlin website the Russian soldiers and helicopters are to withdraw from South Sudan by April 1st after “honorably” fulfilling the tasks of maintaining peace and security in the country.
Russia had eight helicopters and 120 personnel servicing the UNMIS which was disbanded in accordance with United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution 1997 adopted last July.
The resolution ordered the UN Secretary General to transfer appropriate staff and supplies, including “the logistics necessary for achieving the new scope of functions to be performed”, from United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) to UNMISS and the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), which the Council created on 27 June to monitor the withdrawal of Northern and Southern troops from the disputed region between the two sides.
Russian helicopter were used to transport UN personnel and materials as well as participate in search and rescue operations.
Today’s decision comes almost a week after the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said that his country is likely to withdraw its remaining military helicopters from South Sudan in response to security challenges.
"There is a likelihood that our unit will be withdrawn," Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency quoted Gatilov as saying. He said Moscow had repeatedly asked the UN Secretariat and the South Sudan authorities to take measures to ensure the Russians’ security.
After its utility helicopters were attacked by South Sudanese security forces last autumn, Russia decided in December to withdraw four of them.
South Sudan’s government has apologized to Russia for the attacks on its helicopters last year and vowed to take steps to ensure there were no new attacks on Russian aircraft by South Sudanese.
South Sudan seceded from the Arab-Muslim dominated north in July 2011 but has been battling with insurgencies and tribal clashes that have cast doubts over the ability of Juba to maintain security in the newborn state.
On Sunday, Russia announced that one of its pilots has been freed along with other crew members who were detained last month while loading cargo in the town of Sarjas in South Sudan and held in a military camp there.
The withdrawal of the helicopters will deal a huge blow to UNMISS which UN officials say are crucial to providing mobility to peacekeepers deployed there.
(ST)
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