The United Nations Security Council, today, approved plans to approximately double the UN peacekeeping force presence in South Sudan.
The 15 member council unanimously authorised an earlier request by the UN Secretery-General Ban Ki-moon to strengthen the UN mission in South Sudan to 12,500 troops.
Earlier today, the UN humanitarian chief for South Sudan, Toby Lanzer, said that thousands of South Sudanese had been killed in this week’s violence, stating,
“Absolutely no doubt in my mind that we’re into thousands.”
Outlining the need to completely stop the violence the head of the UN peacekeeping mission, Hilde Johnson said that the situation “would turn into a large scale humanitarian crisis if the violence doesn’t stop.”
Early today the UN human rights chief announced that mass graves had been found in the South Sudanese conflict region.