British troops arrive in South Sudan for UN peacekeeping mission, MoD confirms

The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the first set of British troops has arrived in South Sudan as part of a UN peacekeeping mission.

The move comes after South Sudan gained independence from Sudan following a long-running civil war. Despite signing a peace deal last August, there remains ongoing disputes and combat between the government and rebel forces.

The small military team will join more than 12,000 UN troops from over 50 nations currently stationed in the country. The UK personnel will be split into two engineer squadrons to provide ‘vital engineering work to strengthen infrastructure and provide further advisory support’.

Prime Minister David Cameron highlighted that it was in the interest of the UK to ‘step up’ its peacekeeping support because it would lead to ‘less terrorism, less migration and less piracy’.

Up to 300 UK personnel are expected to be sent, with small numbers being deployed throughout the rest of 2016.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon commented: "The arrival of British personnel clearly demonstrates our commitment to supporting UN efforts to improve conditions in some of the world's most destabilising conflicts."