‘Thousands Dead’ as UN Sends More Troops to South Sudan

Security Council Approves 12,500 Troops

The UN Security Council has approved a major escalation of the UN military operation in South Sudan today, bringing the overall size of the UN force to 12,500 troops and 1,323 “police.”

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was quick to downplay the prospect of the extra troops accomplishing much in the ongoing civil war, however, saying that there is “no military solution to this conflict.”

The top UN humanitarian official in the nation, Toby Lanzer, says that the initial estimates of 500 dead in the fighting are much too low, and that he has “absolutely no doubt” that the deaths are well into the thousands.

The fighting in South Sudan started with a failed military coup last week by fighters loyal to the country’s former vice president. The fighting is split largely along ethnic lines, between the Dinka president and the Nuer tribe the vice president belongs to.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.